I don’t know about you, but when it comes to whisky, I find that my palate changes day by day. Some days I’m in the mood for a smoky, peaty, cask strength Islay expression that blows your socks off. Other days I want something mellow, smooth, and fruity that I can sip on at my leisure. Lately, though, I’ve found myself getting a taste for blended Scotch, and that’s no bad thing.
Here at GreatDrams, we’re big on blended whisky. We should be, as we’ve released several over the years. One blended whisky in particular, which has been getting a lot of attention as of late, is Dewar’s 37 Double Double 37 Year Old Blended Malt.
Recently, we were fortunate enough to sample a dram or two of this blended malt, so I thought it fitting to write up my thoughts and share them with you. Here’s a look at Dewar’s Double Double 37 Year Old Blended Malt.
A Brief History of Dewar’s
Dewar’s is one of the biggest names in the world of whisky, and is one we’re very familiar with here at GreatDrams. They produce exceptional blended whisky, and considering they’ve been operating for close to two centuries, that’s hardly surprising.
Dewar’s was founded back in 1846 by a man named John Dewar. Snr. As time progressed, his two sons, Thomas and John became involved, and began to expand the brand. Before the turn of the century, the brand was a global market leader and had picked up numerous prestigious awards in the whisky world.
As the years ticked by, Dewar’s became hugely popular in America. They would join the Distiller’s Company in 1925, before being purchased by Guinness in 1987 (who would merge with Grand Metropolitan to form the Diageo brand in 1997) and eventually sold to Bacardi in 1998, who are the current manufacturers to this day.
Last year, Stephanie Macleod, their Master Blender, was awarded the prestigious title of ‘Master Blender of the Year’. This is testament to the kind of quality and expertise you’ll find at Dewar’s.
Dewar’s Double Double 37 Year Old Malt Whisky Review
I could sit here and sing the praises of the Dewar’s brand all day long, but for now, I’d better crack on and get to the good stuff, I.E the review.
Now, make no mistake about this, this is a special whisky. A lot of time and effort has gone into this, and it shows. The latest in Dewar’s ‘Double-Double’ range, which is a play on words to represent the highly complex four-part aging process that goes into these blended malts, it’s also a dram designed to represent, and celebrate, the different whisky regions in Scotland.
While some blended whiskies are sniffed at, I always say that blending fine whisky is an art. Don’t believe me? Just wait until you learn more about how this release is produced.
With Highland and island whiskies being blended together for 37 years, before the individual malts are blended and re-casked for a month, then being combined with 36 year old whisky with a madeira cask finish and left for another year, before finally being finished in Oloroso sherry casks which had previously contained Aultmore whisky, you can see why Stephanie Macleod was awarded such a prestigious title.
The whisky is bottled at 48% ABV and has a magnificent golden straw colour, housed secretly within a stunning frosted dark glass bottle.
On the nose, you immediately pick up notes of both honey and cinnamon, with a hint of clove. A quick swirl around my glass brought out notes of vanilla and apple, with a hint of almond and candied orange peel. This very much reminded me of apple pie.
On the palate however, was where the real magic happened. That first sip was as smooth as velvet cream, rewarding the tastebuds with flavours of stewed peaches, ripe apricots, vanilla cream custard, sticky toffee and honey pudding, and finished off with a touch of sweet oak.
The finish is so, so smooth and a little dry. It offers an oily mouthfeel with more vanilla and honey shining through. These gradually fade, leaving stewed apple and cinnamon flavours, a hint of orange, and sprinkling of oak to finish. Superb!
That brings our look at Dewar’s Double Double 37 Year Old Malt Whisky to a close. We hope you enjoyed learning about this whisky as much as we did sampling it.
In the meantime, if you are on the lookout for more whisky info, or are simply looking to grab a bottle or two, be sure to check out our Greatdrams.com site and take a look at the current whisky delights we’ve in stock.