Highland

Deanston Virgin Oak

Deanston is relatively new for a distillery in Scotland, being converted from the a cotton mill that was almost two centuries old when converted to a distillery in 1966. Since that time, Deanston has created a number of blended and single malt whiskies, albeit with occasional bouts of stoppage due to diminished demand or other factors. There are 2 wash stills and 2 spirit stills, which produce a total of 3 million liters per year, offerings ranging from a core line of aged and unaged whiskies. It is also the only distillery currently in Scotland to be self-sustaining from an electrical standpoint, powered by a hydro-electric facility on site. The Deanston Virgin Oak is part of their core line up. Matured at first in ex-bourbon barrels like a majority of scotches, it is then finished for 9-12 months in fresh virgin casks from Kelvin Cooperage in Kentucky, a family operation that got their start by the River Kelvin in Glasgow, Scotland. While using virgin oak is normal for bourbon in the United States, it is very rare to see in scotch production.

By Adam | July 20, 2024 | Highland | No Comments |

The Tale of the Forest is the third in an annual series by Glenmorangie that centers around an idea, whether that is concepts as divergent as Cake or Winter. This single malt takes another creative approach by Dr. Bill Lumsden, where instead of finishing the scotch like the previous two, the barley used was dried – or kilned, to use an industry term – with juniper, birch bark and heather flowers. This mix of woodland botanicals was apparently an ancient way of kilning barley for beer, and is used to infuse elements of the botanicals with the barley, much like how drying barley with peat smoke imparts other characteristics. The art on the box and bottle was illustrated by famed artist Pomme Chan.

By Adam | October 5, 2023 | Highland | No Comments |

Being a distillery with nearly 200 years of history does not guarantee success in the present day. Creativity can be almost as vital as what is in the bottle. In 2020, Glenmorangie began a limited series of no-age-statement releases beginning with A Tale of Cake. Each ‘tale’ has a creative story from Dr. Bill Lumsden, Director of Distilling for Glenmorangie and Ardbeg, and is meant to invoke a certain moment or feeling or place. These whiskies seem geared toward a different demographic than their core offerings, what with the emphasis on story and bright package design. The Glenmorangie A Tale of Winter is the second in the series and is meant to evoke the coziness of being inside somewhere on a cold winter day (or night). Though no age statement comes on the bottle, the scotch was 13 years old and finished in ex-Marsala wine casks for an undisclosed time.

By Adam | February 20, 2023 | Highland | No Comments |