Deanston Distillery — Highland Single Malt Whisky

Deanston Distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery located on the banks of the River Teith in Deanston, near Doune, Perthshire, in the Highland region of Scotland. It was founded in 1965 and is currently owned by CVH Spirits Limited, which also owns Bunnahabhain and Tobermory distilleries. Deanston is unique among Scotch whisky distilleries for being fully self-sufficient in electricity, generating its own power from an on-site hydro-electric turbine on the river.

History

The Deanston site began life in 1785 as a cotton mill designed by Sir Richard Arkwright, and it operated as a working mill for 180 years on the banks of the River Teith, eight miles from Stirling. In 1965, a consortium known as Deanston Distillers Ltd — comprising James Finlay & Co, Brodie Hepburn & Co and A.B. (Sandy) Grant — converted the redundant mill into a malt whisky distillery, using the mill's existing weaving sheds and its strong, constant water supply from the river. The distillery officially opened on 17 October 1966 after a refurbishment costing around £300,000, with the mill's former turbine hall later repurposed to generate hydro-electric power for the site.

Ownership passed to Invergordon Distillers, which acquired a stake in 1971 and full control in 1972, before the distillery fell victim to the industry downturn of the early 1980s and was mothballed in 1982. It lay silent until Burn Stewart Distillers bought the site in 1990 and restarted production in 1991. Burn Stewart (and Deanston with it) was later acquired by South African group Distell in 2013, which in turn merged into the Heineken-backed CVH Spirits Limited, the distillery's present owner. Deanston's former cotton-mill canteen was converted into a visitor centre, which opened to the public in June 2012 and now offers tours, tastings and a café within the original 18th-century mill buildings.

Quick Facts

• Region: Highland
• Founded: 1965 (opened 1966)
• Owner: CVH Spirits Limited
• Status: Active
• Stills: 2 wash stills (20,000 litres each), 2 spirit stills (17,000 litres each)

Core Range

Deanston's core range is unpeated, un-chill filtered, naturally coloured and bottled at 46.3% ABV. It comprises the Deanston 12 Year Old, matured in ex-bourbon casks and known for honeyed, waxy, orchard-fruit character; the Deanston 18 Year Old, a richer, longer-matured expression; and Deanston Virgin Oak, finished for 9–12 months in virgin oak casks after bourbon-barrel maturation. Older and cask-strength bottlings, including warehouse-exclusive releases, are also produced in limited quantities.