Dewar's

Dewar's
Type Scotch Whisky
Manufacturer Bacardi
Country of origin Scotland
Introduced 1846
Proof (US) 80
Variants White Label, Dewar's Scratched Cask, Dewar's 12, Dewar's 15, Dewar's 18, Dewar's Signature
Related products Aberfeldy, Aultmore, Craigellachie, The Deveron, Royal Brackla

Dewar's (/ˈdjuːər/) is a brand of blended Scotch whisky owned by Bacardi, which claims the brand's "White Label" to be the top-selling blended Scotch in the US. Dewar’s is also the world’s most awarded blended Scotch whisky with more than 500 medals earned in international competitions.

History

The Dewar's whisky brand was created by John Dewar, Sr. in 1846. 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. 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.

The company joined Distillers Company in 1925. Distillers was acquired by Guinness in 1986, and Guinness merged with Grand Metropolitan to form Diageo in 1997. Diageo sold Dewar's to Bacardi the next year.

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 upon President Benjamin Harrison’s inauguration. Carnegie also sent the same gift to President James Garfield on his inauguration eight years later.

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 had been sunk in Lake Huron in 1913.[1]

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.

Dewar's products

Bottle of Dewar's White Label Scotch Whisky(early 2000s labeling).
Dewar's Scotch Whisky bottles
  • 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.[2]
  • Dewar’s Scratched Cask – Released in 2015, Dewar’s Scratched Cask uses the process of charring and scratching ex-bourbon barrels to release a smoother, American-inspired richness to Dewar’s White Label Blended Scotch Whisky.
  • Dewar's 12 – 12 years old.[3] 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.[4]
  • Dewar’s 15 – 15 years old. The blend was created by the current (and first female) Dewar’s Master Blender Stephanie Macleod.
  • Dewar's 18 – 18 years old. First released in 2003 and created by Master Blender Tom Aitken.
  • Dewar's Signature – First created in 2003 by Master Blender Tom Aitken using the finest single malts Scotch whiskies available.

Distilleries

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

Advertising

  • The premier rugby union competition in Victoria, Australia, the Dewar Shield, is named after the company. The Shield, which is the oldest continuous rugby competition in Australia, was donated by the company to the Victorian Rugby Union upon its inauguration in 1909.[7]
  • Dewar's has run television advertisements featuring Irish actor Michael Fassbender.[8]
  • Dewar’s created the first motion picture advertisement, “It’s Scotch!”, in 1898.
  • Dewar’s was the first Scotch whisky company to use virtual reality video for a product launch for Dewar’s Scratched Cask. The VR video, titled “Dewar’s Scratched 360”, features brand ambassador Gabriel Cardarella touring the various locations in Scotland that are crucial to the process of creating Dewar’s Scratched Cask.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Briggs-Bunting, Jane, and Ned Geeslin, "Yo-Ho-Ho and a Bottle of Mumm!" People, November 16, 1987, pp. 143-145
  2. ↑ White Label
  3. ↑ Dewar's 12
  4. ↑ "Proof66.com Website". Retrieved 2010-10-15.
  5. ↑ Aberfeldy Distillery website
  6. ↑ Aultmore Distillery website
  7. ↑ Victorian Rugby Union
  8. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/DewarsUS

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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