...where distraction is the main attraction.

Friday, February 11, 2022

Things I Really Drink: Dewar's 27 year old Double Double

Hey, I hope everyone enjoyed those last six American whisky reviews! The next bourbon review is scheduled for 2026.

Let us return to the Scot Land with a fresh TIRD post. My first TIRD (or Things I Really Drink, if you're not into the whole brevity thing) was Dewar's 21 year old Double Double. I liked that blend quite a bit, which shocked me because I find their standard blends to be substandard by even today's low standards. This inspired me to chase down Ohio's (possibly) last bottle of the 27 year old Double Double, which I then split with Dr. Springbank, the man who introduced me to the 21.

From the 21's TIRD post:

The whole "Double Double" thing is certainly a shtick. But it does seem sort of like a shtick devised by a blender.

Step 1: Age the grain whisky and malt whisky. (The most subversive step!)
Step 2: Blend and vat the grain whiskies with the grain whiskies, and the malts with the malts. Age some more.
Step 3: Blend the vatted grain whiskies with the vatted malt whiskies. More aging.
Step 4: Finish the blend in _____ casks.

Oloroso casks were the 21's Step 4. The 27 year old was finished in Palo Cortado casks, which were nowhere to be seen in the whisky industry one year and then suddenly everywhere the next.

Today's review comes from a Taste Off between the 21 and 27. They are indeed different whiskies. And of course I did not take a photo at the time. So here's a pic of the empty washed bottle:


Brand: Dewar's
Ownership: Bacardi Limited
Range: Double Double
Type: Blended Whisky
Age: minimum 27 years
Maturation: see notes above
Alcohol by Volume: 46%
Chill-filtered? No
Added colorant? No
(from a 50/50 bottle split)

NEAT

Quieter than that of the 21yo, the 27's nose does have its sibling's brine and nuts. It adds red plum flesh and hints of blackberry jam and flower blossoms. Notes of apple cider and cloves appear 30+ minutes later. It's all very hushed, though.

The palate is a bit narrow. Brown sugar, limes and apple juice tiptoe in, followed by black pepper and mineral moments.

Its finish is shorter than the 21's, showing only apples, honey and citrus somewhat briefly.

ON ICE

Much more interesting here, with herbs, stone fruits and baking spices.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

While it feels sacrilegious to put 27 year old whisky on the rocks, this blend almost demands it. When neat, it's kind of a *shrug* with limited development. It smells nice but drinks flat despite the 46abv/NCF/NC presentation. The good news is that the woodwork shows limited influence. The bad news is that the malt whisky shows limited influence. As a result it fell short of its 21 year old teammate's performance.

Availability - 
It's around, though not in Ohio anymore (my bad?)

Pricing - $100ish for a 375mL bottle
Rating - 80 (with some tinkering)