Dewar's
TypeScotch Whisky
ManufacturerBacardi
Country of origin Scotland
Introduced1846
Alcohol by volume 40%
VariantsWhite Label, Dewar's Scratched Cask, Dewar's 12, Dewar's 15, Dewar's 18, Dewar's Signature
WebsiteDewar's

Dewar's (/ˈdjuːər/) is a brand of blended Scotch whisky produced by Bacardi in Scotland.

History

The Dewar's whisky brand was created by John Dewar, Sr. in 1846.[1] Under the control of his two sons, John A. Dewar Jr. and Thomas "Tommy" Dewar, the brand expanded to become a global market leader by 1896 and began to win several awards, including a gold medal in the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair.[2] Tommy became famous as the author of a travel journal, Ramble Round the Globe, which documented his travels while publicizing the Dewar name. Dewar's eventually expanded their product by constructing the Aberfeldy Distillery in 1896.

John Dewar & Sons 1926 client correspondence with watermark on document

Dewar's rose to prominence in the United States when Andrew Carnegie requested a small keg of Dewar's Scotch whisky be sent to the White House for President James Garfield's inauguration. Carnegie also sent the same gift to President Benjamin Harrison on his inauguration eight years later.

The company joined Distillers Company in 1925. Distillers was acquired by Guinness in 1986.[3]

In 1987, numerous cases of still perfect Dewar's Scotch were recovered by underwater archaeologist E. Lee Spence from the shipwreck of the SS Regina, which sank in Lake Huron in 1913.[4]

Guinness merged with Grand Metropolitan to form Diageo in 1997.[1]

In 1998, Diageo sold Dewar's to Bacardi.[5]

In June 2023, company received a major honour at the International Whisky Competition, with the "Master Blender of the Year" award being given to Stephanie Macleod.[6]

Notable processes

Dewar's pioneered the process of "marrying" the whisky in oak casks to allow the blend to age as one within the casks. After the blend is created, the whisky is returned to an oak cask and aged even further to obtain a smooth, robust finish.[7]

Dewar's products

  • Dewar's White Label – Created in 1899 by John Dewar & Son's first Master Blender, A.J. Cameron. It has become the company's top-selling variation.[8]
  • Dewar's 12 – 12 years old. The blend was created by Dewar's sixth master blender, Tom Aitken. This offering has received some awards at international Spirit ratings competitions. From the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, it has received several double gold, gold and silver medals.[9]
  • Dewar's 15 – 15 years old. The blend was created by the current, and first female, Dewar's Master Blender Stephanie Macleod.[10]
  • Dewar's 18 – 18 years old. First released in 2003 and created by Master Blender Tom Aitken.[11]
  • Dewar's 19 – 19 years old Champion Edition created by Master Blender Stephanie Macleod; released and retired in the same year, 2021.[12]
  • Dewar's Signature – First created in 2003 by Master Blender Tom Aitken.
  • Dewar's Scratched Cask – Released in 2015, Dewar's Scratched Cask used the process of charring and scratching ex-bourbon barrels to release a smoother, American-inspired richness to Dewar's White Label Blended Scotch Whisky. Retired circa 2020.[13]
  • Dewar's Caribbean Smooth Rum Cask Finish 8 Year - Released in 2019.[14]
  • Dewar's Illegal Smooth Mezcal Cask Finish 8 Year - Released in 2020.[15]
  • Dewar's Portuguese Smooth Port Cask Finish 8 Year - Released in 2021.[16]
  • Dewar's Japanese Smooth Mizunara Oak Cask Finish 8 Year - Released in 2021.[17]
  • Dewar's French Smooth Apple Spirit (Calvados) Cask Finish 8 Year - Released in 2021.[18]

Distilleries

Dewar's Scotch Whisky bottles

Dewar's parent company, John Dewar & Sons, Ltd., owns five whisky distilleries in Scotland:

Advertising

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 Hacker, Richard Carleton (2 January 2018). The Connoisseur's Guide to Worldwide Spirits: Selecting and Savoring Whiskey, Vodka, Scotch, Rum, Tequila . . . and Everything Else. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781510707184.
  2. ↑ New York Magazine. New York Media, LLC. 27 May 1974.
  3. ↑ "INTERNATIONAL BRIEFS; Diageo Sells Dewar's And Bombay to Bacardi". The New York Times. Associated Press. 31 March 1998. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  4. ↑ Briggs-Bunting, Jane, and Ned Geeslin, "Yo-Ho-Ho and a Bottle of Mumm!" People, November 16, 1987, pp. 143-145
  5. ↑ "INTERNATIONAL BRIEFS; Diageo Sells Dewar's And Bombay to Bacardi". The New York Times. Associated Press. 31 March 1998. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  6. ↑ "The World's Best Single Malt Scotch—According To The 2023 International Whisky Competition". Forbes. 17 June 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  7. ↑ Micallef, Joseph V. "Dewar's Double Double Series: Is This The Ultimate In Smoothness". Forbes. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  8. ↑ "Dewar's White Label". www.dewars.com/. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  9. ↑ "Dewar's 12 Year Old". www.dewars.com/. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  10. ↑ "Dewar's 15 Year Old". www.dewars.com/. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  11. ↑ "Dewar's 18 Year Old". www.dewars.com/. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  12. ↑ "Dewar's Champion Edition". www.dewars.com/us/en/. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  13. ↑ "Dewar's Launches Scratched Cask, a Bourbon-Inspired Scotch Whisky". BevNET.com. 11 May 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  14. ↑ "Dewar's Caribbean Smooth". www.dewars.com/us/en/. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  15. ↑ "Dewar's Ilegal Smooth". www.dewars.com/us/en/. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  16. ↑ "Dewar's Portuguese Smooth". www.dewars.com/us/en/. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  17. ↑ "Dewar's Japanese Smooth". www.dewars.com/us/en/. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  18. ↑ "Dewar's French Smooth". www.dewars.com/. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  19. ↑ Aberfeldy Distillery website
  20. ↑ "Aultmore Distillery website". Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 5 June 2007.
  21. ↑ "Victorian Rugby Union". Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  22. ↑ "Dewar's - YouTube". YouTube.
  23. ↑ "Dewar's It's Scotch (1898)". BFI. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  24. ↑ Cornes, Judy (12 March 2015). Alcohol in the Movies, 1898-1962: A Critical History. McFarland. ISBN 9781476607368.
  25. ↑ Media, Chilled (9 October 2015). "View the Creation of Dewar's Scratched Cask on Your Mobile Device Via Virtual Reality". Chilled Magazine. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  26. ↑ Castillo, Michelle (13 November 2015). "How Dewar's is marketing to the subconscious mind". CNBC. Retrieved 3 October 2019.

Further reading

  • Buxton, Ian (2010). The Enduring Legacy of Dewars: A Company History. Glasgow: Neil Wilson Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1906476052.
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