Deanston distillery information
Established in a former cotton mill dating back to 1785, the Deanston distillery was founded in 1965 by Deanston Distillery Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of James Finlay & Co. Ltd. It’s located in Near Doune (home to the Doune Castle, where Monty Python filmed their movie “The quest for the holy grail”) in the Scottish Highlands, on the edge of the fast flowing River Teith. The original mill was designed by Richard Arkwright, who invented steam-powered spinning. For the reconstruction, several floors had to be removed. The conversion of the mill to a distillery was inspired by Brodie Hepburn Ltd., whisky brokers from Glasow, who owned the Tullibardine distillery, and builders of the Macduff distillery in 1963.
The first distillation started in October 1969, with the first whisky being sold in 1971 under the name “Old Bannockburn”. In 1972 the distillery was sold to Invergordon Distillers Holdings Ltd., who released the first Deanston Single Malt in 1974. In 1982, the distillery was closed, and remained so until 1990 when it was purchased bu Burn Stewart & Co. plc from Glasgow (they would also purchase Tobermory in 1993, and Bunnahabhain in 2003). Production resumed in 1991. 18% of the Burn Stewart shares were acquired by C.L. Financial from Trinidad and Tobago in 1999, with the rest of the shares following in 2002. In 2013, Burn Stewart is sold by C.L Financials to South African Distell.
Deanston is water powered, using a water turbine to generate electricity with the excess fed into the grid.
Deanston whisky
The majority of the whisky made at Deanston is used in the Burn Stewart blends. However, there are official expressions available:
- 12 Years Old
- Virgin Oak; matured in ex-Bourbon casks
- Spanish Oak; 20 Years Old. Matured in ex-Bourbon for 11 years, then a further 9 years in Spanish Lepanto casks. Limited to 784 bottles.
- Toasted Oak Limited edition; 15 Years Old. Matured in re-charred ex-Bourbon casks, then transferred to ex-whisky casks for a further 6 years
- 1974; 37 Years Old; matured in Oloroso Sherry casks. 102 bottles.
- Festival Edition; Released in 2013, to celebrate the first anniversary of the visitor centre.
Historical releases included:
- 17 Years Old
- 30 Years Old (released in 2006)
- 35 Years Old; Limited edition (released in 2003)
Distillery info:
| Name | Deanston |
| Region | Highland |
| Logo |  |
| Status | Active |
| Founded | 1965 |
| Water source | River Teith |
| Owned by | Burn Stewart Distillers |
| Address |
Deanston +44 (0) 1786 843010 |
| Visitor centre | Yes |
| Website | http://deanstonmalt.com/ |
| https://twitter.com/deanstonmalt | |
| https://www.facebook.com/deanston.distillery | |
| Community | The Weaving Shed |
| Map |
Distillery Setup:
Component |
Capacity |
Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Mash tun | 11.2 tonnes | 1 (cast iron) |
| Washback | 60,000 litres | 8 (Corten steel) |
| Wash still | 8,500 litres | 2 |
| Spirit Still | 6,500 litres | 2 |
| Expected yearly output in LPA (Litres of pure alcohol) | 3,000,000 |