The rise and rise of blends, part 3: the supermarket option that works

Dewar’s 8 yo Mizunara cask finish

40% ABV, likely coloured and chill filtered, app. €23 - €30, and available almost everywhere

I don’t know about you, but I can’t but feel that I have a sort of ‘condition’, something that’s somewhat borderline self-imposed affliction-like even. Because whenever and wherever I’m at a supermarket, against my better knowledge, I tend to roam the liquor aisle. Only to leave again with a slight disappointment about the often downright poor selection. A poor selection from a somewhat seasoned enthusiast’s point of view, that is. In my neck of the woods, it’s often a case of having a choice between either budget friendly, subpar blends or overpriced decent and half decent single malts, from all the usual suspects at hand. And that’s not even a point of criticism towards supermarkets and their whisky selection, because they’re not here to cater to my needs (or rather, desires). They offer what sells to ‘the general public’, which means JW red and Black, Jameson’s and (insert one or two popular Diageo and/or Pernod Ricard brands here). And yet! Every now and then you do stumble upon something which tickles your curiosity. Usually what gets me, is that I’m willing to take a chance on a bottle because it’s on offer, or because I want to put it in a h2h with something I already have in the cabinet. In this particular case, it’s because I was gifted a bottle for my birthday, and genuinely enjoyed it. So much so, that when it popped up in a local supermarket at an introduction price of €23.95, I picked up another bottle.

This 8 yo Dewar’s Mizunara is part of a series of different finishes (think there’s a rumcask one, a frech oak one and one or two others) which were first released a few years ago. Dewar’s, owned by Bacardi, are big fish in the whisky pond, so I’m pretty sure this series of didn’t exactly fall out of thin air or was created with a certain ‘let’s just roll with it and see what happens’ kind of attitude. No, chances are releases like these are the result of extensive marketing research, and credit’s due where credit’s due: I feel they got the momentum and the Zeitgeist exactly right. The 2020’s are well on their way to becoming the age of the blends, after all. A series of different cask finishes, all with an age statement (a single digit at that), accessible and affordable enough to be bought by the more occasional supermarket customer, but with enough going on to tickle the fancy of an enthusiast on the lookout for a bargain: Dewar’s covered all bases on this one, and got their bearings right in the process. Yes, I could complain about the minimal ABV, and the likely added colouring and the chill filtering, but for €25 or there about it would be downright snobbery to do so, wouldn’t you agree? So, how ‘bout it then? Is there anything happening here that should get us all excited?

Nose

Apricot, raspberries and oranges, quite some honey notes as well – you can tell a decent chunk of Aberfeldy went into this. Quite grainy too, with a very faint note of polish remover. Something ever so slightly floral-herbaceous. It’s soft and a bit watery, but none the less appealing as well.

Palate

Vanilla, sugar and honey suckle and again very fruity, almost like a smoothie even (those apricot and oranges leading the way, mixed in with a minty note). There is a very gentle (woody) bitterness to it (which was more outspoken at the start of the bottle but it diminished a bit along the way) which levels out the sweeter notes. Watery and diluted, yes, but again also pleasant, super easy drinking.

Finish

Short, a mixture of soft oaky bitterness and fruity sweetness.

Final thoughts

As I started my bottle, it sort of fell apart on the palate after a rather appealing nose, but halfway through and a few months later, it bounced back and levelled up. So much so, I since bought a second bottle, as this makes for an excellent background sipper, or just something to enjoy on a nice summer evening, or to pour for someone who tends to see whisky as something to mix with some coke. I tend to ramble on occasionally and get side tracked writing these reviews, or elaborate on whatever feels might be of interest or on topic. Not so much now, though, as I feel sometimes we just need to see the thing for what it is, which is downright decent stuff. Obviously, this won’t rock your world, but being so affordable and palatable at the same time, there’s no shame in going for the cheap option here. For the money, it definitely delivers! 77/100

Next week: another one from a well-established indie bottler! And no, it’s not Douglas Laing…