I was at the store picking up some wine for my wife. I wasn’t planning on picking up a bottle for myself, but I couldn’t resist just taking a peek to see if there was anything new.

I happened upon this no-name small distillery. I’ve never heard of Deanston. It was only $28 bucks. I know what you’re thinking. We’ve been down this road before. There’s no such thing as a great whisky for under $40 bucks. I’ve had one or two good ones, but nothing great. It wasn’t just the price-point that caught my eye. It was the fact that this whisky is bottled at a respectable 46.3%. Also, the claim of being un-chill filtered is proudly displayed on the front of the box above the statement “as it should be”. A quick peek at the bottle shows that not only is it un-chill filtered, but there’s no caramel added either. Could this be a hidden gem? It has all the makings of a fantastic independent-bottled-hand-crafted-whisky. Could this be a cheaper Springbank?

For $28 bucks, it took the risk.

From Deanston’s site….

This beautiful malt is first matured in ex-bourbon casks, from a family run cooperage in Kentucky, giving the liquid a wonderful zesty character. It is then finished in new oak barrels, which add subtle spiced aromas to the whisky.

Master of Malt says….

Nose: Fresh citrus, honeyed barley and a subtle hint of smoke.
Palate: Toffee sweets pop up first, followed by a dollop of cream and oak notes.
Finish: Oak spices on the finish.
Overall: Well made, the new oak doesn't take over the whisky at all, which is always a risk with these casks.

The nose is very clean and crisp. Not a lot going on. Maybe some lemons, or some pears. A slight sugary sweetness. Reminiscent of a 12-year Glenfiddich. It’s thick and syrupy, which I love in a whisky. The finish is bitter sweet, with a sour lingering aftertaste. That 46% alcohol is there on the finish and you can feel a little heat.

Overall, it’s not terrible. I found this whisky to be very young, and laking any kind of complexity. I would have liked to have seen an age statement on the bottle. Maybe it’s a 10 year, but I suspect it’s not even that old.

I looked it up online and there were a few sites selling it for about $43 bucks. Maybe I just got it on sale, because it doesn’t appear to be a cheap whisky. (As cheap as whiskies go.) In any case, I don’t feel like it was a wasted $28 bucks. However, I think I would have been a little disappointed if I had spend over $40 bucks on this one. Maybe a few more glasses and I’ll have a different opinion.

Deanston has only been operating since the 1960s. They are a very young distillery, compared to others that have been around for literally hundreds of years. All things considered, with the high ABV, and the un-chill filtering, they’re getting off on the right foot. I just would like to see an age statement. I don’t mind buying a NAS from one of the “big guys” because you know it’s going to be good regardless, but I think for the small distilleries, they need to show us that they can make a solid 10 year, or 12-year before they start pushing the one-off “select” this or “reserve” that non-age-statement varieties.

But that’s just one man’s opinion.