Clean, polished, and authentic, this charming whisky is high up our chart of Highland spirits. All thanks to being matured in refill ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, which shaped its gentle and elegant woody persona.

The 12-year-old is the primary whisky of the anCnoc Single Malt range and carries a familiar light fruity character—a Speyside influence, which comes as no surprise. The distillery is officially located at the top-end of Aberdeenshire. Just five miles west, and it may as well be a Speyside whisky. But as geography has it, the anCnoc remains a Highlander. One that’s different from the rest.

The label reads, “Exactly as it should be.” It’s a proud declaration of how the Deanston Virgin Oak is made: the first few years aged in ex-bourbon barrels, then finished in virgin oak. No chill filtering and no caramel colouring. What you see is what you get.

The Deanston Distillery has a history of its own. It was once a cotton mill, way back in 1785. As the cotton industry boomed, villages nearby started to build a town surrounding the mill. Sadly, the mill was shut down in 1965, leaving behind old buildings and a group of townspeople who needed a better way to sustain the town.

The Deanston company took a look at what they got: a private stream and four water wheels that generated electricity, plus they were strategically located in the Highland. Aha! The answer became clear. Quickly, they pivoted from making cotton to producing whisky, and the old mill has found life again.

The 14-year-old is the epitome of the Clynelish talent. A young Highlander that’s lively and bursting with flavours. A little coastal too. The mouthfeel is well-balanced and perfectly coated with its signature waxy notes. Imagine an edible scented candle with a smoky flame. The peat, however, is slightly weaker than its predecessor. Before the Clynelish was the Brora Distillery that lay abandoned across the field. While it’s sad to see Brora close in 1983, we’re glad for the Clynelish and the whiskies they make.