More to Enjoy
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Intro:
This is a blended scotch whisky from Dewar’s. Aged for eight years and finished in casks of French Calvados, a brandy that hails from France and is made up of apples and sometimes pears. This is bottled at 40% ABV and offered right about the $20 price point, which goes hand in hand with their other releases, such as Illegal Smooth, Portuguese Smooth and Japanese Smooth.
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Nose:
Sweet and grainy, very sweet at first. There is a bit of an ethanol prick and youth and grain. Overall, there is a bit of apple as well, so if you like sweet, fruity whiskies,, this should be enticing to you.
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Taste:
The palate is thin. It isn't particularly rich or remarkable. There's a touch of peaty ash and some chemical smoke. The apple notes drive in apple cinnamon, brown sugar and maple, which blend well with those Dewar’s base notes, which are a vanilla bean and fresh butterscotch. The grain is present here on the palate. Overall, the Calvados certainly has an impact. It makes the Dewar's sweeter, which is an interesting dimension to this whisky.
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Finish:
The finish on this whisky is short. It is sweet and not very complex. there is a bit of heat despite the low ABV.
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Overall:
Overall, this is an interesting experiment. I would not judge Dewar’s or Calvados based on drinking this. It is easy to find, afford and enjoy. It's approachable. However, it's not an extremely strong demonstration of what calvados can do. It is a cool, inexpensive experiment, and I would say that while it’s not amazing, it is worth checking out. It brings a new face to Dewar’s.
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Score:
5
- Our in house critic rates spirits on a scale of 0-10 (10 best) and is aggregated the same as external sources