Drink Review: Dewar’s White Label

November 19, 2020
3 mins read

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Despite the fact that the label is quite clearly a pale yellow colour, Dewar’s White Label this remains a hugely popular blend, especially Stateside. Dewar’s whiskies have won more than 400 awards and medals in over 20 countries.

Dewar’s White Label Review:

Dewar’s White Label is a blend of malted and grain whiskies which has been matured in sherry casks made in a range of different types of wood, from American bourbon barrels to European oak barrels, Hereford and bourbon barrels and some in refill casks. It also comes in a pure grain version.

The flavour profile of this version is just incredible and one taste will tell you why. There is tonic, old malt, the hint of honey and spice. The strangest taste I get however, is watermelon. Actually, I’ve never tried watermelon in a whisky, but I bet there’s a place for that. That watermelon taste (as you can probably guess) is probably a reflection of the American oak casks.

The ingredients are: malt whisky, grain whiskies (wheat), malt whisky (smoked), grain whisky (wheat), barley, honey and water.

Nose: Citrus hop, malt, honeydew, bitterness, a touch of ginger, then much less the orange and honeydew. Somewhat generic, yet intriguing.

Palate: The grain malt clashes with the heavy malt and Cuban cigar flavours. Only slight hints of spice and vanilla on the tongue. The nose is now joined by cigar.

The finale here is cigarettes with a little water, oak and a bit of bitterness.

This is an incredibly complex but thoroughly enjoyable whisky. I now know why it’s so popular and I’m a greedy bastard, so I would definitely consider the value for money, proving once again that great whisky is not always expensive whisky. The bottle is a nice size and very well made.

If you like a whisky with interesting flavours, here’s a great one. Heck, it tastes like a whisky much like the others, but if you’re quiet and relaxed, the pure grain version is quite satisfying too.

Dewar’s White Label in brief (formally The Dewar’s Blend) is a discount Scotch whisky. But unlike many other discount single malts, this one avoids the flavour traps which the most famous “cheap” offerings in the supermarket fail to avoid. In my opinion, a good single malt could easily be recommended for around 30 euro’s. On the more expensive side, you can find bottles for 60 or 70 euro’s.

Dewar Review 1:

The blend is quite impressive with a good combination of high malts and low grain content. It is the first time in my life I taste “tea malt” in a Scotch. Maybe the only time, heavy and strong tea malt hits my palate after a long period of single malts.

In general, the malt whiskey is full of sweetness, with with other ingredients becoming more evident at successive sips. Not all variance is down to the reduction, but that does not take away from this quality malt whiskey.

Personally, I’m quite pleased that Dewar’s have not opted for a more mainstream white label finish. It’s nice to see that they’ve stuck to traditional features of the blend. The smoky notes and aromas that you get from the sherry finish give the whisky a far more complex flavour than of the other single malts on the market.

In cases where the misty, sweet aroma and flavours cannot be overlooked, it’s impossible not to find those positives from Dewar’s White Label.

The taste of the white label is different from other white labels. If I cover the bottle with one hand I can detect that the blend contains both grains and malted barley. Unfortunately, the more interesting aspects of this whisky are reserved only for the nose. There is crème caramel, vanilla and molasses. There are good hints of the medicinal flavour of a medicine bottle from the medicine cabinet.

This is not your typical white label blend. There are loads of nice flavours but the amalgamation of the different types of barley used for the whisky brings, I believe good taste when sipped and a pleasurable aftertaste.

It feels the same as a white label, not just because of the colour, but also because of the way you feel after taking one sip. The sweetness is more obvious, but the flavours are still strong.

Dewar Review 2:

Dewar’s White Label blends are one of the more discreet blends in Scotch whiskey’s myriad ranges. By rendering the label more discreet, Dewar’s also delivers a more authentic and faithful experience. The target market of this blend is admittedly not going to be one that will require hype and clamour when they walk into the store. However, for those people who appreciate a good drink, this is a blend that delivers.

The blend is a delicious tingle of sweet malted barley, a bit oaky and toffee-like, with waves of fresh cut fruit.

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