Thursday night, someone's kitchen bench, three of you standing around deciding what to open. One mate likes his dram sweet, another leans towards something gentle, and nobody's in the mood for a debate about it. Reach for the Deanston 12 and the question tends to answer itself before the first pour lands.
That's the quiet trick of this bottle. It sits in the top 18% for how broadly it's liked. Not the loudest bottle in the room, just the one most people are glad to find in the glass. It fits nearly every taste standing near it.
The Deanston 12 is the non-chill filtered, higher-strength twelve that took over from the old standard bottling in 2009. The nose is orange marmalade and shortbread dipped in honey, with ginger, cinnamon and vanilla sitting behind. The palate is soft: salted caramel, milk chocolate, hazelnuts, fudge and sweet oak. The finish runs medium, closing on a little peppery oak. Easy to follow. Hard to tire of.
If you want a change, three bottles sit close.
Tomatin 12, usually around $94. Pleasantly sweet, a solid malt base carrying bright summer fruit, clean and straightforward. To a Deanston 12 drinker it gives about 97% of what the Deanston does, for 101% of the price.
Dalwhinnie 15, usually around $95. Deep honeyed sweetness, caramelised fruits, a touch of thick cream, fennel and sharp citrus, chunky and gentle through the middle. About 95% of what the Deanston gives, for 98% of the price.
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