Dewar’s: A New Era of Scotch Whisky

The older, the better, right? That’s what I thought until I tasted the Dewar’s 15.

I’m not much of a Scotch drinker. I tend to stick to Vodka and sometimes Gin. So I was skeptical about a tasting of Dewar’s Scotch Whisky that I was invited to. Arriving at dinner at New York Prime, they weren’t ready to seat us and offered a drink at the bar. Since I’m not well-versed in Scotch drinks, I ordered a Moscow Mule. However, our Dewar’s host redirected me to a Mamie Taylor (the Whisky version of a Moscow Mule) and I loved it. See the recipe below.

I knew I was in for a tasty evening after that. We started with the Dewar’s 12 year and progressively made our way to the 15, 18 and Signature. The older, the better, right? That’s what I thought until I tasted the 15. It had lovely notes of vanilla and coconut. The Dewar’s rep also gave me a good tip: stop ordering the whiskey on ice and order it neat and drop a single ice cube in it to open up the flavor.

What is so special about the 15? Dewar’s 15 is the result of carefully blending 40 whiskys, primarily aged in former sherry and bourbon casks. Their process, which they refer to as the “marrying process” merges all the characteristics of each whiskey.

“It’s a delicate endeavor: ‘If it’s aged too long, it’s too aggressive, with the older whiskys dominating the younger whiskeys,’ says Brand Ambassador, Gabe Cardarella” of Dewar’s 15 from http://www.metro.us/

My second favorite was the Dewar’s 18. It was bolder with an overwhelming almond flavor to it. Again, by just adding one ice cube, really opened up the flavor for me.

Dewar’s Mamie Taylor Cocktail Recipe:
2oz Dewars 12yr
Half lime
Spicy ginger beer
Bitters

Fill highball glass with ice. Pour whisky over I’ve then squeeze half a lime into glass and drop lime wedge into glass. Top with ginger beer and garnish with candied ginger.

Thanks Dewar’s for the whisky education and for New York Prime for a delicious dinner! Disclosure: In case it isn’t obvious, our dinner was complimentary, but the opinions expressed are 100 percent my own.