whisky review 506 - Dewars 12yo Legacy Scotch
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- Опубліковано 29 сер 2024
- decent, but just not my style of Scotch !
This video represents a personal opinion and perspective only.
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My Grandmother is a surviving member of the Dewar name (although her she took her married name her maiden is still dewar) She is in her 90s now and she has had some of the recent Dewars made by Bacardi. While her flavor Profile due to her age may be altered, she assures me that it is nothing like what her family made. Funnily enough she has Dewars older than my parents still unopened in a locked China Display Case
Cameron Mechan . . . fascinating insight, thanks for the comment.
I went back to Dewars recently as the price of malts in the US have become more and more insane. And I was shocked at the general quality of the line. The 15 especially offers great value for around $35-$39 where I am. I tried a sample of the 18 and while decent, the price is too close to single malt for me to buy a bottle but it was good for a blend. I think it’s important we don’t get too negative about blends and lower end products. With that inflation going we may need them here and there to stretch the dollar
Bought a bottle of this prior to checking any reviews because it was marked down. Agree with Ralfy's review about being competent and pleasant but utterly forgettable.
BUT
I have found however that it is for precisely for that reason this is a great base spirit to play with blending at home. Adding just 5-10% of a characterful single malt such as Craigellachie 13, Laphroaig 10 or Ardbeg 10, or Aberlour A'bundah and it takes on a surprising amount of the character of the single malt and the experience lifts enormously. I recently made up a small decanter of roughly 90% Dewars 12yo to 10% Aberlour A'bundah and the resulting blend is delightful and also much more affordable than the single malt on it's own.
Really been enjoying my whiskeys since viewing your reviews. No more 7up & ice... No more over the rocks. Neat only allows me to really focus on taste, a few ounces last me an hour because my sips are so small yet so enjoyable.
Pebble Beach . . . happy to help with the malt-moments matey !
This has been my experience with Dewers in general.
Their purpose is not complex flavor. Their purpose is easy to drink.
As an easy drinking whisky, Dewers has always been pretty good. But they never did manage to get any degree of complexity in to their drink.
I enjoy Dewers when I'm at a bar with several friends. I don't enjoy Dewers when I'm with my whisky drinking friends trying to look for flavor.
A malt-mate thank you Ralfy. I began my scotch journey with Dewars White Label so had to check this out. The blending of the 12 is a big step up from the White, better balance on the spicy, peppery notes in my opinion. Add a small piece of ice or few drops of H2O and it becomes a worthy dram (especially on end of the month budget days). This is a good enough scotch for the price. Nothing more.
Ralfy: My malt journey took a another turn, went from Glenfarclas 10 to Glenfarclas 12. The 12 year old maybe the best whiskey I've ever had, and that includes a lot of American Bourbon, Rye, etc.
I love the Glenfarclas distillery because it is family owned. Love the videos with George Grant, he seems like a real fun chap
I was experimenting with my unopened whisky last night and I think I've found something useful. When you look at a clear whisky bottle with the light above it, from above, so you're looking through as much whisky as possible, the ones that state 'natural color' or 'nothing added' or whatever, The whisky is always a shade of brown from a light chestnut, to a red-brown, to almost black, but always brown. The ones that make no such claim have an orange irn bru glow to them.
alan wilson . . . a very good observation. And dyed whisky always looks too clear due to over-filtering.
Dewars 12 is an excellent quality blend that everyone should try. In the US it is great value at a mere $37/liter from Totalwine. Sure you can buy better but it will cost you $70 and more. Unlike regular white label Dewars this version is not peated. There is always a bottle on my shelf.
I love how your sincerity shines through! Initially you claim that adding water doesn't do much to this one and is better off without, yet once you did add some it was now more interesting, granted that the finish flopped into a whisky-vodka oblivion, but still. With a young dram like this, I would go with the interesting and leave the awesome finish to the elders ;) Sláinte Mhath!
I'm getting to do something I've not had the chance to do yet. I just bought a bottle of Dewar's Ancestor, and as I watch this review, I'm opening it up, nosing it, and tasting for the first time. It's fun comparing tasting and nosing notes at the same time. I got my bottle at a closeout discount price, as this particular store is going to stop carrying it. I hope I really like it. Cheers, malt mate!
. . . good luck !
Bravo Ralphy! The most negative... positive review for a whisky ;-)
I have no quarrel with easy drinking whiskies with simple range of flavours, I'd keep inviting people to ones like dalmore 12 and popular speysiders the're all very wellcoming and just enjoyable. Not everyone will be analyzing dram for an hour ;-)
I would buy this as a gift to friends as an introduction to blend whisky, it is smooth, juicy sweet, cheap, inoffensive. Would buy again for myself, it's better than many at the price, great as a wee dram on the go, or as a decoy whisky.
I was actually at the Dewars Distillery last week and it was one of my favourite to be in. Very historical and nice location. I also visited Talisker and Dalwhinnie in the same week :) I actually quite enjoy the Dewars 12yo, as far as blends go, it's nice compared to most.
While I was there I also got to taste the some Aberfeldy Single Cask from 1987 at 55.2% and it was awesome! Even got to smack open the bunghole myself lol. I would recommend going to the Dewars Distillery if you're near Perth. Great place.
EDIT: Someone asked who own them during the distillery tour and they openly said Bacardi, so they don't really hide it that much, though.. you did have to ask as it says it no where else in the distillery.
id love to have a drink with this guy 🍻
+hyper drive You can buy him a virtual drink!
I've been drinking this Dewar's in the last week and have to say that, even though it is an enjoyable whisky, I can't really define its flavors. I always start getting a hint of something (usually orange and honey), than it's gone. I can understand why you've called it a vodka-whisky!
Nice reviews, Ralfy! Keep on the good work!
Its not too bad, depending on the price you get it for. It starts off very strong on first open, but tends to fall apart after 10+ minutes in the glass
I'm working my way through the scotches and I am enjoying my first bottle of this tonight. Deliciously smooth!
Took my first sip as I started the video and couldn't agree more. I think I"ll save this one, and like it more, if put out for a holiday party.
Hey Ralfy, I love your bourbon reviews, it's nice to see you trying spirits from the Appalachian area. Being from that area I would love to recommend a whiskey that is comparable to none. "War Horn" is a lovely corn whiskey with a mellow body and a sharp bite. It is very unique small batch whiskey made in Marion, VA. Enjoy.
Cheers
I’ve tried full wheat American whiskies, very interesting. There are only a few, though, so they might not have made it across to the UK. Light and breadie, and easily dominated by the oak.
The problem that I have with most blends is the fact that they can have beautiful aroma but when you taste them they have absolutely horrible mouthfeel - really thin and unsubstantial. There are exceptions like Black Bull 12 or Ballantines 17 but they cost so much that I'm better off with a proper malt so why bother?
I'm not an expert but I don't even like the aroma of blends. I just bought this one thinking it was single malt, but I instantly noticed it wasn't. I have to say is really good, but I much prefer single malts.
Ralfy, I initially assumed this was a special edition Dewars 12 with a cork. However I've since noticed at my local store that this is simply the old Dewars 12 with new packaging (the shelf had a mix of old and new bottles). Assuming the blend formula hasn't changed, I think this is technically a re-review of Dewars 12.
shuboy05 . . . I will check them side-by-side, however I do remember the older review I did with my pal Andy was significantly more flavour-rich ! . . . but that would have been an older 'batch' which I notice increasingly varies in some brands.
Scotch industry should pay you huge sums of money Ralfy
. . . never happen 😆
Hi Ralfy,
Thanks for all these wonderful videos. I have some questions. Almost everybody use a scale over 100 for tasting notes but I’ve never seen an evaluation below 80 and over 95. For example there is no 60 over 100 or 20 over 100.
So what are your measures of value evaluating a whisky? In general if a whisky bottled and launch to the market can we say that it is the minimum requirements to get over 75? Since the notes are varying in general between 80 to 95 why we do not use e.g. a scale between 0 to 15? That could be more determining about the tasting evaluation.
Greetings from Istanbul
***** If any spirit scores less than 80/100 I do not review it as I would not recommend it. Spirits vary a lot in flavour and form so marks are allocated on a different set of values but quality must always be a priority. Hope this helps.
There simply aren't +95 whiskies available for average folks. When the whisky scene was on hibernation in the 80's and early 90's geeks could buy really old independent bottlings of for example Port Ellen, Laphroaig, Brora and Springbank for relatively affordable prices and those are the true scottish gems that populate the top 10 in review sites. If you wan't buy a bottle of 1966 Bowmore we are talking +5000€ which is frankly absurd.
Great review!! I dint find it as forgettable tho i love this!! Cheers my friend
Just watching now, looks like another great review. My little lad is quite a fan (!?) But insists on calling you "salty" lol. Review request alert: Ardmore Legacy. Spotted in Morrison's recently for a good price, it's a suspicious no age statement experience with allot of label stuff going on. Could be interesting? May grab a bottle meantime :-) Keep up the great work Ralfy.
Go for the traditional...it replaced ...much better @£25
jc syson Took your advice and looked at the reviews also. Just bought 2 bottles of Traditional :-) Why they would replace a 46% non-chill filtered product with a chill filtered one at 40% is beyond me...
I truly appreciate your reviews, MALT ON friend! As the result of your reviews the Belvenie 14, Glenmorangie Nector D'or, and Oban 14 are my favorites. Don't even drink Bourbon anymore, the taste buds have evolved to far to go back!
Question dear Sir, I have attempted the extreme "peats", like Ardbeg and can't seem to handle the smoke. Any suggestions on a lightly peated single malt that isn't overpowering? Thank you sire!
40% you say? i heard it being bottled at 43% perhaps there are different kinds? i also noticed at least two different style bottles and label for this expression over the years
Ralfy, as you well know the Scotch crowd is very picky. Having Bacardi on the label would turn people away, possible yourself included. Quality for value is really the only thing I look for. If the malt is made local or by a huge multi-national what's in the bottle is what matters. Thanks and have a great one!!
Ralfy, really enjoy your reviews...have you ever considered testing your robust nose in a Blind Test segment to your channel!
There is so much confirmation bias in whiskey reviews. I am sure Ralfy sees the Dewers name and 90% of the opinion is formed before a single taste.
Have you ever heard of Dewar's Caribbean Smooth?
Bacardi probably don't put their name on the bottle because they are an actual brand of rum and not just a company name such as Diageo.
Hi Ralpy, thanks for all your reviews via these "vlogs". I have some questions for ya.
1) "Malt marks" vs "Blend marks" - any difference other than one being a Single malt or blended malt and the other being a blended whisky? i.e. is a blend receives an 83 mark and a malt receives an 83 as well are they equally good?
2) I have an old bottle of Dewars 12 for the 1990s i think. 43% ABV with a bottle number C 03772 - anyway to date this?
3) Have you tried Teacher's Origin whisky? The 40% ABV version that we get in Singapore is quite good on the nose and is good taste wise as well, a bit of smoke, peat, caramel, sea salt and a slightly oily feel in the mouth.
4) Whatever happened to Monkey Shoulder - you had mentioned it on one of your earlier vlogs but it hasn't appeared since. I personally found it a bit unbalanced with a vodka note that I didn't like - otherwise a competent whisky.
5) Do try the Macinlay Shakelton whisky as well - I like it very much but it's a bit pricy for what it is. Guess it's all the marketing money.
6) Lastly, and most importantly, Merry Christmas! Ralfy.
Hi Ralph, Happy malt mensions to ya..... I would love to hear your thoughts on the 17 year old islay cask from Balvenie. I have one and a half bottles left and love it. I once rode my Harley 500 miles round trip for a bottle of this delectable delicious desirable bottle.
Did they change the dewars 12 yo bottle from whisky review 208 ?
Also to raise awerness for the holiays a malt mention malty responsible designated drivers as people drink and drive a lot during this time.
Dear Ralfy, Are you aware of the first Single Malt ever produced in Patagonia, Argentina? The first few bottles appeared by late November, the name of the whisky is La Alazana. It'' d would be great a review from that! Cheers from Argentina!
***** . . . good stuff ! I look forward to trying this whisky as it should be different from scotch !
Come to Patagonia to taste it!! You´ll be wellcome! Meat & Malt are such a great combination!
Dewars 12 vs Buchanans 12??? I have tried, and really enjoyed the Buchanans 12.
Hi Ralfy! Thanks for another great review! I Was wondering how I can get a Malt Mention? Also, will you be reviewing Glenfarclas 12, or any 'Farclas reviews coming up?
Thanks
My choice for Whisky Review 666: Jim Beam Devil's Cut. Malt Mention: Mephistopholes
or Bowmore Devil's Cask & Arran Devil Punch
Nokomisclub . . now on the m-mention list !
Hi Ralfy! That's a pretty good mark for an uneventful whisky. You gave the standard 12 year old a mark of 87. I am guessing that's because its better quality and unpretentious. Is this one more expensive?
Uneventful but flawless and great value.
Ralph how about a Christmas tree in the corner with miniatures hanging off it that people could bid for for charity?
far to early !
Ralfy, (or anyone here) i have a question concerning Glenfarclas 105. i bought a 1L bottle for 33 Euros on discount. i saw on an online shop that the 0,7L version come from "sherry casks". the 1L from the same shop comes from "refill sherry". thats what the online shop says.
now weird is that the 1L costs only 2 Euros more than the 0,7(in every shop ive checked so far). usually 1L bottles of any distillery should cost about 30% more. that extremely small price difference makes me wonder whether it could be more content, but poorer quality.
so is there a difference that you know of between the bottle sizes of the 105? this sounds very strange to me.
Antoine M Both should be the same whisky. Sherry casks are technically all refill casks because they previously held sherry.
shuboy05 no there is a distinction between first fill (first time filled with new make spirit) and refill (once or multiple times filled with new make before)
Antoine M
Oh, of course, first fill should be the first fill AFTER the barrel was emptied of previous contents (bourbon, sherry, port, etc.). Glenfarclas 105 should be all ex-sherry casks. It may be a vatting of both first fill and refill.
shuboy05 anyway i think it should be the same. but this price difference of only 2 euros for 0,3 Litres more content is quite weird.
Antoine M It may seem a bit weird, but that's how it is some times. 1L bottles are often found in taxfree shops and yields a much better bang for the buck than the 0,7 L version at the local shop (in most cases). I have only the 0,7L version myself at the moment, but I'm confident it is of the same make as the 1L versions.
Hi Ralfy. Excellent review as usual, thank you! Any plans on reviewing the Talisker Dark Storm?
mixed this whiskey with gentlemen jack whisky . I like the malt I got out of it. 50/50 mix.
Do you have any advice for a young whiskey drinker, such as myself? :)
I'm 18 and love whiskey, but it's expensive and I'm afraid of getting hooked on it...
Great video!
Assuming that it's legal for you to drink whisk(e)y wherever you are, the best way to learn about the wonderful world of my favorite spirit is to meet people who know more than you and take every chance to taste more whiskies. There is no substitute for sampling it. The same is true for wine. Along the way your palate for whiskies of all kinds will grow. If there is some sort of whisky club somewhere near you, I would suggest trying that. Otherwise try frequenting a specialist retailer and any special tastings organized in your city. You will meet people very quickly. Generally we are pretty generous in sharing drams and knowledge. There is a "pay it forward" attitude. Once you have friends who know your taste, they will reach out to you when they see something they know you'll like.
Just what I was looking for. Thank you very much, Edward :) I live in Ireland and the legal drinking age is 18. There is actually a club that I was thinking of joining and the send out whiskey samples to its members every 2 months so it would help me become more familiar! They also have tasting events and award nights :D Thanks again. :)
If you can't get into a club (the age limit is 26 years old to join any of the whisky clubs in my town, for instance) the internet is a great source of helpful information. Also, as Ralfy was quick to point out: take your time. Don't rush it. Enjoy the whisky you have more than the one you don't have, and try not to think too far ahead. :)
damillionmalania 26 ? . . . thats OTT beurocracy by heavy-handed autocracy.
. . . take your time, sip-slow, be sensible, enjoy the journey !
Tenth? It is better to be verified as tenth then to be refused asking to be verified as the first:-) or not?
Dewars 12 is €8 more expensive than Chivas 12 in my area. Not worth the upgrade imho.
Still..not a bad deal for $28 a 5th.
Hi Ralfy, have you tried "aging" white dog with wine makers toasted oak chips, I did this week and I soaked them in Bacardi first. I see a reference to Bacardi in this vlog and so yet again your vlog is relevent to my whisky activity of the moment, how do you do it?
Thanks for the review Ralfy. I would try a wee dram of, Dewars but certainly from what you have said, I wouldn't buy a bottle.
Bacardi, the hidden war book, was this meant to tye, into the review, as Bacardi own Dewars?
John Henfrey . . . just an interesting read with a dram !
Did they stop making them with the corks? Mine came with a screw on top
ralfy, I know you as an unconventional whisky lover who likes to experiment from time to time so that's why I ask: have you ever tried mixing a bit of oloroso or amontillado with whisky?
balisongnet have tried this but it did not quite work. Needs time to marry into the spirit.
Jim Murray thinks there are sulfured sherry cask involved in Devar 12 yo. I wonder why you Ralfy never bring up this subject? In my experience sulfur problem is real. I have encountered few times sulfured whiskies (all scotch). My latest experience is 2014 bottling of Aberlour 10 yo, which was absolutely undrinkable.
Mikko Pylkkanen not noticed it here. I am ok with sulphur in spirit, but not from sherry casks where it is a sign of poor quality casks.
if a Whisky is Ultra Sulphury the only thing that helps you is pull off the cork and leave it open for an hour. it cant get worse. i had a 1997 Glenfarclas which upon opening tasted of mainly match sticks and cherry stones. and that was it. after 45 minutes of breathing it turned around completely. all the hidden notes came out.
Does it remind you of buchanans 12 minus the Caol ila maybe???
Ralfy. Thanks for the review. It sounds as if I should give the Dewars 12 a miss.
I wanted to know. Have you tried the Tomatin 15 Year Old? I bought it on Thursday and we tried it Friday night. It has a lovely natural ex-bourbon cask colour which indicated to me no (or very little) E150 colouring. Despite it being 43% I felt it needed a bit of water having quite a bit of alcohol nose nip. However, when adding water I noticed that the malt remained crystal clear with no swirls in the glass whatsoever, showing the effects of chill filtering perhaps? My initial first nosing and tasting comments are that this malt begins quite hot and spicy and overall a very clean developement but finish was pretty short and bland. I hope it gets better when I try it again next week. I must admit to being rather disappointed. I have found that there are some malts that are wonderful upon first opening and others that simply need a bit of time to settle once opened so I havent given up on this one yet.
With no disrespect, be a bit careful regarding the proper Dewar's 12 yo. Ralfy gave Dewar's 12 yo Special Reserve Bl Sc (Blue Label) an 87 blend mark (a pretty darn fair rating) in Whisky Review 208. I have to say the Dewar's 12 Spec Res is a quite decent & tasty Sc blend for a fair, relatively inexpensive price. I like it.
Slainte.
Ray Raymond No direspect taken. I have watched every single Ralfy video (sometimes more than once) and I know from his description what I'd like, what I ought to try to broaden my horizons and what I should avoid, even the ones he recommends.
Reb Mordechai . . . Tomatin is a 'variable' malt which I rarely buy.
***** Shame. I saw it on special offer in the Jerusalem Machane Yehuda market, around £5 cheaper than London prices and I thought I'd give it a go. Ah Well.
Thank you Ralfy!
Unfortunately your comments on dewars made me think of the highland park 12 i just bought a few days ago, no matter how much i tried liking it, as you did recommend it for beginners, to me it really just ended up bland and spirity with a hint of smoke and a bit of a sweet flowery aroma, but not a complex one at all... truly vodka like..
Very disappointing purchase and I can't understand how they sell it in some really outrageous prices here in Israel (About the equivelant of 100$)
I'll take a glenfiddich or glenlivet over it any day of the week, and they cost about half as much, or a glenmoarngie that's at least one level above in price but also in quality.
You must have got a bad bottle or something. Highland Park 12 is one of the most complex, smoky and delicious scotches for $80 CDN or under. I have never had a bad dram or bottle.
You nailed it Ralfy!
Hey Raffy I try the dewars 12 is ok.. I rather drink buchanan's. .. Another question for you which blend is better old parr or buchanan's.. And also chivas has a new blend called Chivas Extra can you review it?.. cheers from the Bronx NYC
Old Parr is better in my opinion. Light touch of smoke and sherry and a better nose.
Chivas extra is NAS, he won't review it
Raffy I've seen this in the liquor store in nyc.. which one you recommend Buchanan 12 or Dewars 12?
Buch 12, just more of a flavour experience.
Thanks for recommendation..
Great stuff as always, Ralfy!
Ralphy...you should give us a tour of your flat...looks like your in a bunker or basement.
so i guess you dont think much of dewars with label then?
Almost ethereal - hmm, I got a bottle recently I will pass on my opinion when i have sampled it
Festive lights down already? :-(
After watching this amongst many many of your other reviews it seems you don't give this a fair shake. No "year in the glass for every year in the cask", no positive "maybe it will open up a bit" or any give it hope chatter. I wonder if this is because it's not a small craft distillery offering non chill filtered and no colour? Maybe because Dewars is now owned by Bacardi?You talk it down before you ever talk it up and your bias is clearly showing. I'm a huge fan but this one is crap - just saying!
Huh, sounds like my opinion of Hazelburn 10yo Rundlets & Kilderkins.
Decent quality, but oh so bland and insipid. A shame really, since I had thought it would be a good whisky, but It wasn't, was just a disappointment.
Could you review some gluten-free single malts?
All distilled spirits are gluten-free, just by virtue of the process. So when a vodka is pitched as "gluten-free", they are not lying to you, but they are fooling you :-) Like fat-free water :-)
Malt mention: Malty Monads. It's not rude.
. . . now on the m-mention list, thanks !
for the money this is excellent value :)
A good after dinner whisky
DL12 labeln smax a we bit of American Bourbon "style" labeln. Hey who reely owns this stuf. No boycotz tho Ralfy. can't do that m8..that wudnt b fair now wud it!.haah.
Merrrrry Christmas maltmate!
I want to try scotch and I'm a scotch virgin. Where would you recommend I begin. And don't let the name fool ya...I'm a guy. LOL Take care and thanks for your time.
***** Highland Park 12yo
Great review. Just not a fan of dewars
tell isa to stuff it
Having this whiskey and did not like it!
best to save my money for something else it seems
Last !
I have never liked Dewars......never liked Chivas, or Jonny Walker just something about those whiskys that just don't taste natural to me
There is a Dewers 12 double aged that is much better.
Wrecky61 the white label is good as well.
Steve Walther Have you tried the Scratched Cask? I think it's more complex than the 12.
NOT first!
First maybe
. . . verified first !
To it's weak. All the way around.
First?
took almost 6 minutes before he drinks lol,,,, blah blah blah
First?
First?