ralfy review 932 - Deanston 18yo @ 46.3%vol: (2022)
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- čas přidán 19. 06. 2022
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Glad to see this still holds up, it's basically the best value commonly-available 18yo on the market, at least in the UK. The Jura is cheaper, but this is miles better.
Love the channel Ralfy, your knowledge of whisky is amazing.
Everytime I go back to Ralfy watching one of his videos I feel happy by the warm atmosphere.
I know myself not much about whisky, but it's never too late to learn something.
Thank you, Ralfy! Greetings from Holland!
Thanks for reviewing this. I think its a beautiful whisky, it makes my mouth water! The fact that it's available under a £100 puts other brands to shame!!
I’ve been with you in the very start and even now I’m still learning stuff all the time from you never get bored of what you have to say keep it up you always make me smile.
Great review as always Ralfy. I bought one bottle when you've communicated the 90 mark for the patreon. I tasted it and I went back to buy two more bottles! Great quality indeed. Cheers
Very informative..slowly explained good for whisky enthusiasts and also new to whisky..well done.
I love ralphy reviews. Knowledgeable and passionate makes him very engaging.
Trouble is within weeks of him releasing a good review they get sold out or the price goes up. He’s a man on the edge of the future, from a bothy!
Nice indepth analysis here Ralfy. Full measure of useful information to be sure.
Great review Ralfy. This really is an outstanding value single malt - I've often purchased it for a little over £50. Deanston generally appear to be one of those distilleries that are doing things right (and with integrity).
Great review Ralphy
Overjoyed to be a part of this Scotch Renaissance!
Let's be honest here, how many of us in our whisky explorations at any point of time would ever be able to unlock all the delicate secrets that this bottle has to offer. Thank you for this video Ralfy, for what it's worth, I can see myself watching this 3,5, or even 10 years from now, drinking Deanston 18 years old and trying to follow your master tasting notes.
A fresh glass of water or an unsweetened cup of tea before sampling really helps. A cup of tea also allows your dram 20 mins to open up 😀
I'm with you on the tea bit. I actually really enjoy making a load of roasted green tea, but at mild steep. I also specifically love doing genmaicha or hojicha. I'll have the load of tea all through drinking a dram or two.
The new bottlings (2021, 2022) are considerably better that the ones in the old bottle
Bought a bottle after watching this a while back, and when it arrived I was a little disappointed, because I rushed it. I've just re-watched this video some months later and got so much more out of it, and learnt so much by re-watching. This is a great bottle, and I'm almost as happy just sitting and smelling it as I am sipping it. Think I might buy another one and keep it for the future. Thanks for all the knowledge
Awesome review thank you . I love Deanston distillery it's not the secret, I try 18-year-old got it from UK, went back and got two more bottles ($78 +shipping=98) only thing I noticed it needs time to open up I usually poure the drum let it breathe for 30 plus minutes and enjoy it, but two weeks later that open bottle is amazing. I have to admit my favorite Deanston is 20-year-old, second place I would sleep between 18-year-old and 12-year-old. Every time I sip on Deanston (not 20yo) I know it is Deanston. And you are absolutely right The prices are going up and up and up, I would add one more 18-year-old Aultmore 18 to the list it's also worth the money still affordable. Thank you as usual for your great knowledge.
KING Ralfy, you are the best
Hi Ralfy, wonderful review on a fabulous distillery and whisky. I love the 12 year old and I searched for the 18 year old on the German market. Prices are up now to 98 to 110 Euro. I predict that prices will go up and availability will go done after your review. Cheers from Germany and always keep it quality and not quantity. No gulping or guzzling.
Hi Ralfy, love the chanel and content, all the whisky I buy is based on your reviews, just supping the Deanston 18 and its magnificent, thanks for the heads up and keep up your brilliant reviews cheers all the best Paul 👍
Just ordered, astonished (in a good way) by the price. Cheers Ralfy.
been waiting on this review... cracking whisky
i bought a bottle around last christmas when on offer and really enjoyed it, so much so i finished it a tad quicker than i would have ideally liked lol, and since then have had another 2 bottles. It really is a class act, and i would agree with ralfy that it needs a little time to open up, but IMHO i did think just a tad of spring water really improves it from neat. As far as the comment on whisky festivals go, you only have a limited session time in there, so most of us want to try quite a few drams and not hang about too much nursing a glass or two for too long, at least i do. At home when i've got all night it's a different matter !!. GL
raly, ordered my first about 10 days ago because never see around here. $120 total cost seemed very reasonable. Love Deanston 9 year in Bordeaux at about 57% ABV. My only 18 year up to now was Glengoyne.
Thanks for this wonderful review Ralfy. Had an accident yesterday and still taking medication so I couldn't cheer with you. Lovely malt for the price and it's available here too. Love from Hungary.
Hold on neighbour, get well very soon , love from doctor from Serbia!
@@NicolasMD85 Thanks mate :)
Deanston was a real discovery for me over last few years
Hello Ralfy,
Back to Basics in sharing your Knowledge is a good Thing. So the newer Viewers can get a Bite of your Experience and continue watching your Channel and get educated to become Maltmates.
Haha enough BlaBla from me.
Great Review and i tollay agree.
I have this good Malt already in my Stash as a Standard that the New Bottles have to mess with.
Greetings from Germany to the Bothy.
Keep doing your Thing Ralfy.
A screen Grab! Why didn't I think of that?! A wonderful way to catalogue my possibilities.
RALFY , you are the one! Thanks for those years comment for malty maniacs. 🥃🥃🥃
Remember when you took my malt mention for this bottle 2 years ago? 😁👍💖
It's very reasonable in the UK for 18 years a second bottle will be on my shelf soon.
Love the color of that in the glass and all your flavor profiles of this Ralfy, but 1st fill bourbon scares me off as said before. Love malted barley distillate and dry wood flavor too much to kill it with bourbon. Just because you bought more than one bottle doesn't mean you will drink it, but instead sell or share it, because people you know love their sweet bourbon bom drams; smart. I'm grateful for your reviews and grateful this one puts 1st fill right up front for me to see. Thanks again Ralfy for your expertise as usual!
With regards to crops affecting taste, I think it’s down to the idea that a slower and smaller grow gives more time for saturation of flavor in the grain (or whatever). I can attest that with strawberries, for instance, wild ones are much more powerful in flavor than the large modern versions in most stores.
Deanston is a fabulous distillery.
Just caught this as the 932nd viewer! Perhaps this is a sign to purchase this one!
just picked one up for 150$ here in the US and it was an older brown box...dust covered...glad to have it sitting in the cabinet but ouch...glad to see the MM!
Drank this one whilst the OSWAS was on - live.
Great drink
Speyburn 18 was for me as a Glendronach fan a great discovery
I just got the sold in Canada version, same label different stamp, no age statement 55$ CAD. Wow, great highland, subtle, complex experience. Thanks for the recommendation, gonna be sold out in no time.
I found the Cognac finished version on sale over the winter for $80 (~65£). I bought a bottle, tasted it, and did the exact same thing; I bought 2 more bottles. One quarter the price of Macallan 18 and a better whisky. I even had some friends test it just to confirm I wasn't missing something.
Great review .unfortunately I won't be able to get this in Canada but the 18 year old Glenlivet I can get
oom , i think i'll get some ,, have just checked their website = can't find anything about colouring . thanks for good review ;;;
Ralfy, great review as always. I recently bought the Deanston 12 and I'm really enjoying it. At $61usd =£50 gbp, it's not a bad price for where I live. I'd love to get my hands on the 18yr, but at my local shop, it would run me $170 usd = £138.53 gbp. That to me is just outrageous. Would you pay that much? My wife would kill me!
I have to say Ralfy, I am really enjoying your 18 YO series.
Comparing the new Deanston 18 in the white box, with the old Deanston 18 that comes in the Brown box, I prefer the new one.
However, you make a very good point when you say that it doesn't need a lot of water!
I consider this a slight criticism of the whisky. You see, Distell INSIST on their brand standard abv of 46.3%!
There are a few good reasons why they do this but the problem is that you thereby set limitations on the expressions and in this case, (in my opinion of course) have not presented this expression at its finest because of this branding imposed abv limitation.
The Deanston would have been far better presented had it been bottled at say 50% abv, (in my opinion).
How do I know this? Simple, I've been to the distillery and bought several bottles of their "Distillery Only" and "Single Cask" bottlings which have all been bottled at higher abvs, and boy, does it make a difference to that Deanston/Bourbon Barrel signature.
I recommend Jura 18. It's very big, most unusual for Jura.
Well ,I had it in my Amazon basket ,and you made it sell out before I purchased it 🤣🤣
All I could find locally was the 18 bourbon cask finish
You know what Ralfy, I enjoyed the Deanston 12 so much, I do scratch my head as to why I haven't bought the 18!🤣 but what does that tell me? It tells there's just too much damn choice out there currently! Cheers mate, enjoy.
Greeting Mr Ralfy and thank you for the review , very informative as always , Deanston has impressed me over and over, I have virgin oak , 12 yr and 14 yr old organic one , so lovely. As you mentioned last time , I am not going to pay more than $150 for any single malt any time soon and this one also is more than $200 down in Aus 😔. Great example, around 4 months ago I bought a bottle of 18 yr old Talisker for $149 and couldn't find anymore. Yesterday I received an email from one of the places I usually buy spirit online advising they have new stock limited 2 per customer and guess how much ? $269 !!!!
That would be the drink society wouldn't it? :P
Diageo plans to increase the RRP of Talisker 18 by 192% to around £240 in the UK. They want to "Macallan-ise" it. Get some whilst you still can.
@@TasmaniaIsAHole correct ,The Drink Society 😁, I only buy grom them evey now and then because they do Afterpay 😆😆 but not really convinced to buy it on that price,there are some smokies under $100 atm which do the job atmif you are in buy and sell later business it would be a good idea but I am terrible , I used to buy 2 Bootles, one for drinking and one for my collection cabinet, haven't been able to do that for 2 3 years now. I assume your in TAS , even Lark is ridiculously expensive.
@@farshadp6114 I haven't bought any. I considered it but honestly there's so many other whiskies and rums out there that are great that are half that price or less it just' becomes a hard sell.
Yes Tasmanian whisky is expensive. That being said there's a few distilleries that are now focusing on increasing output and their prices are fairish for what you get. 700ml bottles too. But yeah a 500ml NAS cask strength shouldn't be costing 200 bucks. Especially from Lark who has a decently large output now.
This is around 110 USD near me. Certainly on my list someday. Hopefully I'll just grab one before another inevitable price hike.
I noticed the foil on the neck of the bottle you reviewed was red. The 2 bottles I purchased from the distillery had blue foil. Wondering if anyone knows the difference?? Is that how they’re denoting batches?
Dynamite bottle! Odd that yours doesn’t say anything about natural colour, mine does on the bottom right of the front label on the bottle. Maybe they saw your review, Ralfy ;) Cheers 🥃
Deanston is my favourite my comet is still there from the last 18 sure you said you hated it last time my memory is bad clear
Anyone else prefer the 12? I think the 18 is very good, but like the 12 more…even irrespective of cost.
I do,prefer the Glencadam 10 over the 15 too,ex bourbon is made for peated or young whiskys IMHO.
I think I might! I've just finished a bottle of the 12yo and opened an 18yo as a replacement. It's not that I don't like the 18, but I'm still not convinced it's better than the 12
Leaving a dram to sit for that length of time, would you generally put a lid on the glass or not?
Master Class.
Just tried this tonight as a comparison with Balblair 12. Price on Amazon back to £58 a bottle. I’m more of a peat head but this must be the best price to value whisky on the market.
Ralfy, when are you going to give us a tour the Bothy inside and out. It can be brief. Thanks
Deanston are owned by Remgro - a Sth African company! But, wow, what a galactic whisky!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not only did it go up in price, it’s become hard to find online let alone on a shelf.
None of the Deanston range contains added colouring.
Considerably better value than the Bunna 18 then Ralfy (going by online prices). Not surprised at the quality mark. Deanston are certainly in the ascendancy. I'll have to make do with the 12 year old for now but hell.....that's a belter and no mistake.
Tomatin is one of those less expensive 18 year old whisky´s to.
Not really sold out in Germany if you search for some shops which are not hyped so much. And it is really without added E150d.
what is stopping distillers in non-peatty areas from soaking barley grain and malt in peatty watery mud/sea water solution, before fermentation, to emulate peattyness note with note of sea salt?
The non-oxygen bearing peat mud would prevent malting (theoretically).
The concept and then the results I've seen. Opening a bottle, have a bit. Then put it away for a few weeks. Dramatic sometimes as you have pointed out. Not just scotch. Burbons too, but that's obvious once you say it out loud. Just need more bottles to see it over years.
There is a Kosher version of the 18. Same flavor as the regular I presume?
90/100 good
That damned 'Ralfy effect'. In all the ,to me availeble, online shops the Deanston 18yo is sold out. This within 40 minutes since the video became online on CZcams.
How does this compare to their olorosso version?
Hello Ralfy,
Can you indicate which year your bottle of Deanston was bottled. I am seeing bottles with a red cap like yours (2018/2020), but also with a blue cap (2020/2021).
Many thanks
. . . 2021
Buy,buy, buy. Buy 3 buy more. There’s such a consumerist pressure in the online whisky world nowadays. Can we not just dip into enjoyment of good whisky as and when we encounter it?
. . .yes, while it still exists.
I would have expected the liquid to be darker, being aged 18 years in a first-fill bourbon barrel. If there is caramel color added, it certainly doesn't show. I'll have to go back an re-watch the Arran 18 year old review, because that's my favorite, and it's naturally colored the hue of weak coffee.
there is no added colour, german site states so. :)
I am predicting Ralfy is highly likely to review Arran 18, Glen Scotia 18, possibly Speyburn 18, maybe Glenfarclas 18, in his next two reviews. They are all my favourite malts particularly Arran 18 and Glen Scotia 18.
I'm pretty sure ralfy isn't keen on Speyburn.
I really want to get my hands on a bottle of Arran 18 but it's impossible to find at a reasonable price. I'm not paying $300 for it.
@@TasmaniaIsAHole I was wise to stock up half a dozen bottles of Arran 18 a couple of years ago through several times when it wasn’t as popular as today. Price in NZ is NZ$180 now but you only get a chance of a day or two to buy every year and then sold out. Next time it comes out it might be over $200. You might be right on Ralfy with Speyburn 18 but it is quite a nice malt.
@@weichen7261 It *should* be around 200 AUD here (180 NZD is about 160 AUD) given our BS taxes but the only place it's available online is charging 299 AUD and limited to one per customer. And even then I'm sure people will pay that unfortunately. I will probably have to keep my eyes open and order it from NZ if the chance arises.
I haven't tried any Speyburn in all honesty.
I enjoyed the 12 year old when you gave it malt of the Year in 2020...this bottle in America is priced at $160 USD so
won't be affordable for the average Joe.
You begin this video saying that you review scotch whisky because that’s what’s more easily available where you live. That’s how lucky you are. The others like me that are fans of whisky but live abroad have a harder task to enjoy it. It’s less available and more expensive. I live in a country with a huge tradition in alcohol, mostly wines (great wines), fortified wines (mostly Port and Madeira) and also distilled beverage like our kind of brandy (“aguardente”, including a very specific type of aguardente produced from a fruit called Medronho in the south). We have a small production of whisky, wich is very expensive (Woodwork) and some rum and gin. But apart from red and white wine for meals, it’s whisky what I really like.
… stop it Ralfy, everybody has been here before ! 😏
… or should have, if sipping good stuff ! 🥃
Your last score for the older bottling review 821 I think, was 87. Is it your opinion the 18 has improved from the bottlings of 2 years ago ? I’ve only got the older bottlings .
. . . yes.
Great review and I can say: lessons learned about whisky festivals. Tasted the Benromach 40 yo at a festival and rushed it in 15 minutes...
Oh and Deanston 18 is sold out in Germany ;)))
Not sold out, if you are searching for the right shops.
@@StephanPaulB Bullshit, the new bottling is sold out. The last two shops (whizita and vodkahaus) are sold out for 2 weeks now
@@slimbomania1 That is not right Mr. B... Heute sogar wenige Flaschen ohne Umverpackung bei Hotte.
@@slimbomania1 Of course, you know it better, but people don`t listening to your smart words can buy the bottle for 89,90 bei Familie Lüning.
@@StephanPaulB lol you think you are clever because today Lüning restocked the Deanston 18. Until today it wasn't available in Germany for weeks.
Let's see how much the price will go up now lol the ralfy currse lol 😆 better get one or two in
Upto 83.00 a bottle already on amazon damn you ralfy lol 😆
I bought a 40 year old at auction recently for £70. Not whisky though, Armagnac. Startling price difference.
I think this and Glen Moray 18 (also higher strength, un-chill filtered) are the best value 18 year-olds in the market right now.
Yes I agree. The Glencadam 18 is lovely but far too expensive. I can't justify replacing the Glencadam but this Deanston 18, I will always try and replace it.
@@RebMordechaiReviews Absolutely, I always have a Deanston 18 on the go (same with Glen Moray). I too love Glencadam - luckily the 10 year-old is also a fantastic whisky and much better value. (same applies to the 15 to a lesser extent)
you spell well renaissance in french :)
How does it compare to the previous, brown-label edition?
. . . just fine.
Quite a fan of the works of the Distell Group, huh? They make a good job at Bunnahabain, Deanston and Tobermory. I am worried about changes with Heineken now beeing the major stakeholder...
Let's see how things go. For a giant macro lager Heineken isn't bad. They may just want the brands and leave them untouched (fingers crossed)
Regarding to my information Heineken did not purchase the distilleries. This part was excluded from the deal with the Distell Group
@@mrnosebear7406 Uh! You are right! They only purchaise the James Sedwick Distillery in Southafrica (Bain's, Three Ships), I tought it was otherwise. Thanks for the correction.
I enjoy Deanston for the three As: accessible, available and affordable.
Deanston 18yo retails at (equivalent of) £120 in my area... 😭
Ralfy mark up coming in 3...2...1....
If you go on their website and click on the 12, it says in the description "All our single malts are non-chill filtered and with natural colour." Weirdly, it doesn't say that in the description of their other single malts and frustrating that they don't put it on the bottle.
. . .it is frustrating.
@@ralfydotcom The ingridients are there in black and white:water, malted barley,yeast
@@angelosmichail3950 . . . and possibly E150a,
@@ralfydotcom I don't think so Ralfy.
The bottle I have was exported to Germany.
It is there obligatory to state on the label whatever ingredient swims in there.
Cheers!!
Someone once said that 13years is the "best" average age of maturing a whisky.
Is this age avoided because of superstition?
12:50
Ralfy, you are the culprit when they start marketing this at 100 pounds! 😂
So ralphy how much did you manage to get this for then?
. . . £65
@@ralfydotcom tis a good price, can be found cheaper if you don't mind supporting Mr bezos and his shenanigans
👍❤️🥃
Where can I see that malt mention?
At the end of this review, you will see Ralfy giving a 90 note for this Single Malt.
@@patrickmeyer1103 I mean the malt mention in the beginning of every video
@@ADSCP Sorry Antonio, I don't understand, what do you mean exactly with "the malt mention" ?
@@patrickmeyer1103 Ralfy always begins his videos thanking someone for a malt mention
@@ADSCP Oh, OK ! Yes indeed, he used to begin his video thanking people who sent him a sample or a bottle...But this doesn't happen all the time.
The cheap high age statement whiskies (fiddich? Or even market brands) are very trapping for customers. You think you've tried an old one, but in reality, any well done 10-12 whisky would beat its complexity. For me the highland queen majesty 1989 was an absurd example. It was 25-30 years old, but had taste similar or worse than standard shelf 12yo malts. Like it spent that 25 years in a plastic container.
So something 'good' does come from America: our white oak bourbon casks.
. . . a lot of good things come from America, but the 'media' never mentions the good. Only the bad.
Ordered. £64
Spectacular price, especially this days, I would take 3 bottles easily if only I could find it where I live
Got a Deanston 12 earlier this year because it was recommended by another channel. I was not impressed, not that enjoyable for me.
Regarding the labelling, I find the lack of transparency on the label and box very strange considering Deanston's integrity bottling production ethics. It makes no sense.
The label states "Matured in First Fill Barrels". In my opinion, this is definitely deceptive. When you ask, they tell you that its matured for most of its life in Ex-Bourbon hogsheads and then finished in First Fill Ex-Bourbon barrels. So it really should say "Finished in First-Fill Casks" on the label.
At least the Deanston Virgin Oak states that it was "Finished in Virgin Oak casks". It is annoying though that the Virgin Oak label does not mention that the whisky was previously matured in Refill Ex-Bourbon hogsheads. However, the deceptive text of the new edition of the Deanston 18 is unforgivable.
Incidentally, the old brown box Deanston 18 clearly states "Originally laid down in hogshead casks this Deanston Single Malt whisky was then transferred into carefully selected First Fill Kentucky Bourbon casks.....". So where did the new bottling go wrong?
I'd guess this is due to a complete disconnect between the marketing guys at head office and the distillery. It seems that they never spoke to the distillery and composed the text purely based on some fact sheet they were handed. Unfortunately, this happens frequently in the Scottish Whisky Industry.
The problem is compounded by the fact that I know that people have been complaining for years when visiting the distillery (as well as online reviewers saying the same thing), and telling the distillery shop assistants and guides there, of our annoyance that the label neglects to state "Natural Colour" as well as not giving us enough information (or being deceptive) about cask maturation.
My experience was that their reaction to these complaints was one of complete surprise and puzzlement as if it's the first time they have been told this! I found this utterly astonishing. Do the guys at Deanston not watch reviews of their products? Do they not read the nonsense printed on their bottle labels and wonder why they do not reflect the actual product? The guide proudly told me that you won't find a bottle of E150a anywhere in the distillery. They wouldn't dream of adding colourant! So, I replied, why don't they state this on the label?????? The guy reacted as if it was the first time someone had raised this issue.
They have had years to correct this issue and have neglected to do so. I am sure there is a reason why Deanston do not state "Natural Colour" on their labels. I cannot think of what it could be though. It's all very suspicious.
. . . another five-star comment for malt-mates. Thanks.
I tried this 18 years old
It taste like nothing
This is new bottle from Deanston right?