Dewar’s is without doubt one of the best-known names in blended Scotch whisky, up there with manufacturers like Johnnie Walker, Well-known Grouse, and Buchanan’s. The distillery’s new Dewar’s 19-Yr-Previous The Champion’s Version is the model’s fourth annual launch in partnership with the Skilled Golf Affiliation’s U.S. Open Championship, which befell final week. Annually, the limited-edition expression permits Dewar’s to experiment with a novel double ageing cask ending technique—and this 12 months isn’t any totally different.
Double ageing refers to whisky that is aged, then blended, then put again into barrels to age once more. In 2021, the primary 12 months of the model’s partnership with the PGA, Dewar’s doubled-aged the limited-edition Scotch in first-fill ex-bourbon casks. The model used American oak and rye casks in 2022, and Napa Valley pink wine casks in 2023. Grasp blender Stephanie Macleod introduced rye whisky barrels again into the combination for the 2024 bottling.
The rye barrels used to age the brand new Scotch come from Louisville’s Angel’s Envy. To be thought of American rye, the whiskey’s mashbill should encompass a minimum of 51 % rye grain. Angel’s Envy is totally different, because the model usually pushes that as much as 95 % rye, which provides distinct spice and fruit flavors.
In consequence, the brand new Dewar’s options notes of creamy vanilla, caramel, apple fritter, chocolate, and orange to the palate, with a variety of spices, together with cinnamon, pepper, and nutmeg, flitting about beneath.
Bottled at 86 proof, Dewar’s 19-Yr-Previous The Champion’s Version appears to be designed to be a sipping whisky, both neat or over some ice. However given the attainable $80 price ticket, it is a implausible whisky to experiment with in cocktails. Something from a highball to an quaint to a penicillin would seemingly be upgraded by subbing this expression for some other blended Scotch whisky.
As a fast refresher, blended Scotch refers to a mix of malt and grain whisky that is produced at totally different distilleries, versus single-malt Scotch, which is comprised of a mashbill of 100-percent malted barley at a single distillery. There are numerous whisky drinkers who imagine that blends are the inferior of the 2 types, however the proof is within the reputation: blended Scotch outsells single malts by a large margin. And should you’re a single malt drinker who does not like blends—or a blends fan in search of one thing new—this new Dewar’s launch is value a attempt.
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