This review covers The Deacon, the Blended Scotch in the copper pot-still bottle — not any other Deacon release. I tasted the 700ml, 40% bottle sold in Japan, neat first, then with water, over ice and as a highball.
Smoke leads, but sweetness is never far behind. There’s no age statement, yet the nose shows no alcohol: smoke, orange, malt and oak. The palate is light and on the sweet side, with vanilla, smoke, a faint salty touch, liquorice, spice, orange and gentle oak, and the finish carries soft smoke and fruit for a moderate length. There’s some Islay-style iodine peat and brine, but what I mostly pick up is a drier, Speyside-style smokiness with a grassy edge.
It has character, but the sweetness and the fresh, light palate make it surprisingly easy to drink, and the peat is clear without any sharp, aggressive edge. The catch is the body: it isn’t thick, so even neat, where the flavour comes through most fully, it feels youthful and a little short on heft. If you don’t mind smoky whisky, it’s well worth a try.
It’s at its best with ice and soda. On the rocks, the sweetness, smoke, spice and fruit come through in a more complex way and keep shifting as it sits, so it’s more varied than neat. As a highball it’s gently sweet but properly refreshing, well balanced, light and very easy to drink. With water, a 1:1 twice up makes it too thin; a small splash works better, bringing up a fresh, grassy peat note and more sweetness.
For a richer smoky blend, see my Johnnie Walker Double Black review; for a bolder, more maritime smoky blended malt, see Hebridean Journey, or browse our Blended Scotch reviews.