Dewar's 27-year-old Double Double Aged / 46% / 0.5l

In 1998, Bacardi Ltd. acquired the rights to the Dewar's brand from Diageo. Despite a slight decline in sales (2.6 million cases in 2020), Dewar's remains the most popular Scotch whisky overseas.

In 2019, Bacardi blender Stephanie MacLeod developed a new Dewar's offering featuring whiskies that have undergone a four-stage maturation process. The jewel in her crown is the 27-year-old Double Double presented here. The first phase involves aging the individual malt and grain components in traditional oak barrels; in the second, the separately blended malt and grain whiskies are placed in new barrels; in the next phase, after all the components have been mixed, they are placed (as a finished blend) in another set of barrels, and finally the finish is made in Palo Cortado sherry barrels.

Nose: complex, honey, vanilla, crème brûlée, apricots, cherries, bananas, lemon jam, mixed fresh herbs, charred oak and a hint of smoke in the background.

Taste: velvety mild, caramel, buckwheat honey, vanilla cream, cherries, apricots, nectarines, pineapples, a pinch of white pepper and subtle oak bitterness.

Finish: medium long, with notes of tropical fruits, toasted grains, honey, vanilla, nougat, sherry and oak tannins.