Deanston 10 Year Old PX Sherry Finish Highland Single Malt Whisky (750ml)

While Deanston has never been a house hold name in the whisky world, even with the genre's most knowledgeable fans, it's long been a part of the Bunnahabhain/Tobermorey company portfolio now owned by the Distell group and a large chunk of the Highland whisky goes into the blend Scottish Leader, which sells quite well outside the U.S. Deanston has never been all that successful at K&L either, but the brand got our attention in a very big way with the release of the new 10 year old PX sherry cask finished edition, bottled at a whopping 57.5% ABV. There's no doubt about which of their competitors they have in their sights with this new release. It's priced and crafted perfectly to square off with the Aberlour A'Bunadh, one of the boldest, sherry-matured whiskies on the market. Deanston has the advantage here for a number of reasons, however: the PX sherry butts give it a fruitier, sweeter edge and the 10 year age statement is a huge bonus for whisky fans who like knowing exactly how old their malt is. Full of caramel and sticky toffee pudding on the nose, the palate explodes with dried figs and rancio notes, but the core flavors of the vanilla from the malt are never lost. This was a total shocker for our spirits department and we responded by loading up on our inventory. It's a bold step forward for one of Scotland's most overlooked distilleries.