Cadenheads Deanston 15yo Authentic Collection February 2024 & Gleann Mor Rare Find Deanston 1995 Cask #4392A

Cadenheads Deanston 15yo Authentic Collection February 2024

Region: Highlands

ABV: 50.0%

Price: £75.00

This 15yo release has been maturing in a Manzanilla cask since September 2020. 270 bottles were released.

Nose

Initially, the nose offers hints of vinegar (specifically apple cider vinegar), cloves, red apple, and a mix of oat and ginger nut biscuits. With a little patience and air, notes of brown sugar, fudge, cinnamon, lime juice, and vanilla emerge. We’re finding this really easy to nose at 50%.

Palate

The palate reveals a more noticeable sherry influence, with raw ginger spice, toffee syrup, and fudge. There’s also many of the same notes as the nose. Going back we’re detecting apple, pear, and fresh cranberries. The mouthfeel is good, slightly fatty, with a medium finish where the aforementioned notes linger. However, the finish is just a touch too hot for our liking.

Nose (with water)

With reduction, the profile shifts to showcase dark chocolate, a touch of dry roasted peanuts, and warehouse funk. There's a decrease in cinnamon and cloves, with more burnt brown sugars coming through, resulting in a less sweet overall nose.

Palate (with water)

When diluted, the palate remains fairly spicy, though it loses some of the pre-dilution sherry notes. The flavours shift to include plenty of caramel, vanilla, and citrus notes of lemons and limes, with more influence from the bourbon cask becoming evident. The mouthfeel is slightly diminished but still good, and the finish maintains a medium length.

Conclusion

A release that reminds us we should drink more Deanston, and while not perfect another solid release from the folks at Cadenheads.

Score: 7/10

Value

We’d never say no to whisky being cheaper, but are £75 we can’t complain.

Gleann Mor Rare Find Deanston 1995 Cask #4392A

Region: Highlands

ABV: 52.2%

Price: £250.00

This 26-year-old release was distilled in 1995 and initially matured in a refill bourbon cask before being transferred to an Oloroso octave for finishing, and then bottled in 2022.

Nose

 Initially, the whisky appears a little closed off. With patience, however, it begins to reveal some of the sherry cask influences, including Christmas cake and brown sugar, intertwined with other notes such as eucalyptus leaves, wood chips, apple pie, peppermint, porridge oats, polish, and honey. Pleasant notes that’s a little disjointed, but we’re enjoying taking our time sitting with it and picking out the various notes that appear.

Palate

The palate starts with a big hit of vanilla, followed by a hint of woodiness that is quickly enveloped by flavours of cola, caramel, cinnamon, thyme, and ginger. The sherry influence is definitely more noticeable on the palate. The finish is a good length, although the cinnamon spice lingers longer than the other flavours. The age is more discernible on the nose than on the palate.

Nose (with water)

With the addition of water, the whisky opens up, revealing a more noticeable woodiness and slightly amped-up sherry notes, including more orange peel and cherry cola, along with hints of Tizer. The bourbon notes recede slightly. Going back there’s also candied orange and candied ginger. The spice is also slightly reduced.

Palate (with water)

Adding water has opened up the palate, much like it did with the nose, though it has become a bit spicier as a result. Flavours of aniseed and liquorice have emerged, and the sherry notes are now really prominent. The finish retains its medium length, and the mouthfeel remains good.

Conclusion

We’re enjoying what’s here, but do feel the short finish in the octave has created some disjointed flavours. We’d be intrigued to try the bourbon cask as we’re not sure the finish was needed.

Score: 7/10

Value

We believe this one was £195 at launch, but has been put up in price by the shops still selling it.

• 10 - Perfection. One in a million
• 9 - Outstanding. Exceptional whisky.
• 8 - Great. Would seek this out.
• 7 - Good. Quality whisky.
• 6 - Above average. Happy to have a dram.
• 5 - Average. Drinkable whisky.
• 4 - Below average. Passable.
• 3 - Flawed. Noticeable negatives.
• 2 - Defective. Significant faults.
• 1 - Offensive. Pour it out.

If you like what you’ve read then check out our social media (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) to get notifications of when we post a new review or just to chat about whisky with us.