Deanston 18 (1999) Valinch & Mallet

Review by: Raygun

I’ve had a soft spot for Deanston since doing the warehouse tasting there. I’ve found them uneven though. Some very good ones (like a great Bordeaux cask release a few years ago), and others not very interesting. Valinch & Mallet is a fairly new independent bottler, founded in 2015, and based in Milan, Italy. I believe this is my first from them. Rested about 15 minutes.

Distillery: Deanston  

Bottler: Valinch & Mallet  

Region/style: Highlands single malt Scotch

ABV: 53.2%  

Age: 18 years. Distilled in 1999 and bottled in 2018. 

Cask type: Bourbon hogshead #18-801, 210 bottles.

Color: 0.5 yellow gold. Natural color and non-chillfiltered.

Nose: Malt, honey, British biscuits, and lemon. Some wax or furniture polish, sort of in between.            

Palate: Rather tart and sharp at first. Caramel, lemon, and some cream now. Scones with clotted cream. Earl Grey tea and honey turns up. Some nuttiness as well. Feels like it can’t quite make up its mind what it wants to be. Water helps, making it less tart and rounding off the edges. 

Finish: The oak comes out and turns toward tannic. Earl Grey tea, caramel, pistachios. Scones again. Hotter than I’d expect for the ABV. Something sharp to it. Again does better with water.  

Conclusion: For a bourbon cask, it’s a little odd. An up and down kind of dram that never quite settled in. Some sips it was cream and toasted nuts (very nice); others were prickly and overly tart. Would have guessed it’s younger than it is. Time and some water were helpful, but didn’t fully take off the rough edges. Can’t say it’s among the best I’ve had from Deanston. 

Score: 78

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky. (Convalmore 36)
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1)
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Ledaig 13 Amontillado)
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Tomatin 18)
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Glen Scotia 15)
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Aultmore 12)
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Glenmorangie 10)
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Old Pulteney 12)
  • 0-49: Blech. (Muirhead’s Silver Seal 16)

Published by Raygun

Unknown's avatar

I drank Scotch occasionally (mostly at family gatherings) for years, but started getting more interested after an introduction and tasting from a Scottish acquaintance. That led to buying my first bottle (Highland Park 12). Now 600+ spirits later, Scotch is still my first love, but I drink other whisky and dabble in brandy as well.

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