Whisky : Dewar’s White Label Blended Scotch Whisky

Country/Region : Scotland/Blend

ABV : 40%

Cask : Ex-Bourbon/Ex-Sherry

Tasting : Neat in a glass tumbler while cruising at 35,000 ft.

Nose : Sweet and herbal; fresh cut grass covered in early morning dew. Late summer sun dried hay bales.

Palate : Meade like sweetness, but otherwise mellow and inoffensive. Faint tea/herbal notes which remind me of a weak and watery Earl Grey tea to which someone has added too much Splenda.

Finish : Quick and to the point, enough so that one could forget they were even drinking scotch if not for a faint alcohol burn.

Score : 1

Mental Image : Trapped on an airplane pretending to drink the good scotch you know you have stashed away in luggage.

Something Better : Chivas Regal 18 or 12 (less sweet, additional savory notes)

Something Similar : Dewars 12 Year (similar profile but longer finish)

Something Worse : Johnny Walker Red (though to be fair, both of these blends are best used as mixers or for cooking)

Notes : I have jotted down a number of notes over the last year, most of which I have never managed to type up. I am trying to come back to some of those reviews that got missed. Missed because they just were not exciting, or not very positive— but not so negative that I just had to share my disdain, or reviews I hesitated to type up until I gave them a second shot. I think this one fell on the wayside in my excitement to type up reviews for Ardbeg An Oa and then some Amrut, some Kirklands… and well here I am back to it finally.

I had this dram on the same series of flights as my Glenfarclas 12 Year review. Flying obviously messes with your taste buds, so the review might not be entirely fair. In spite of the altitude handicap, I do not think I can count on coming back to Dewars White Label any time soon. That Glenfarclas still had enough complexity at 35,000ft to ensure that someday I give it another shot— the Dewars did not. It does not bother me though, White Label is a mid-shelf cocktail scotch and does not need to be anything else.

When I want a blended scotch, I tend to go for Douglais Laing’s Regional Malts series or Compass Box. If I want to spend a bit less money, then Johnny Walker Double Black or Black or maybe a Chivas with a nice age statement (depends on who I think I am entertaining). Kirkland 12 Year if I need a giant bottle. Dewars just does not fit in to the equation, which is too bad as I have otherwise enjoyed some of the single malts like Craigellachie that make up the blend.