🥃 Dewar's 12 Year Old
Twelve-year-old line of Dewar's blended Scotch whisky, 40% ABV; two-stage maturation and finishing in ex-bourbon casks.
Dewar's 12 Year Old is the twelve-year-old line of Dewar's blended Scotch whisky, bottled at 40% ABV. It opens the brand's Premium Collection, in which every expression carries an age statement. The producer describes the nose as vanilla, citrus and orchard fruit, the taste as iris, grain and soft spices, and the finish as slightly smoky, with oak and honey.
According to the brand's website, the whisky undergoes two-stage maturation and is then finished in first-fill ex-bourbon casks; the blend contains 30 malt and grain whiskies. The description on Difford's Guide (an older edition) mentions about six months of additional maturation in certain oak casks after blending, and the influence of the single malt Aberfeldy. The sources therefore differ in their details.
Why this matters to you. Compare it with White Label if you want deeper honey and oak, and with the 15- and 18-year-old if you are looking for a richer taste. The age on the label refers to the youngest whisky in the bottle. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
Facts
| Year founded | the Dewar's brand — 1846, Perth |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2890), Blended Scotch Whisky |
| EU category | 2 — whisky/whiskey |
| Raw material | 30 malt and grain whiskies, with the influence of the single malt Aberfeldy |
| Cask type | two-stage maturation; finishing in first-fill ex-bourbon casks |
| Minimum maturation | 12 years |
| Alcohol (% vol.) | 40% ABV |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Dewar's 12 Year Old → packed in → 🍷 Oak barrel ← packed in ← 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Packed in
- 🍷 Oak barrel
- Made from
- 🥃 Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 🥃 Barley and malt in whisky
- What it contains
- 🍷 Ethanol
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Part of
- 🥃 Dewar's, 🥃 Blended Scotch Whisky, 🥃 Scotch Whisky
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Chivas Regal, 🥃 Dewar's White Label, 🥃 Dewar's White Label, 🥃 Dewar's 15 Year Old, 🥃 Dewar's 15 Year Old
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that Dewar's 12 is finished in bourbon casks?
Yes, according to the producer's website: after two-stage maturation the whisky is finished in first-fill ex-bourbon casks.
How old is Dewar's 12?
Twelve years, which is the age of the youngest whisky in the blend.
What is the strength of Dewar's 12?
40% ABV, according to the producer and Difford's Guide.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🍷 Ethanol — The alcohol formed during fermentation that makes you drunk.
- 🍷 Oak barrel — A wooden barrel of oak staves in which wine matures and breathes.
- 🥃 Single Malt Scotch Whisky — Scotch from a single distillery: only malted barley, water and copper pot stills; at least 3 years in oak, 40% vol. or more.
- 🥃 Chivas Regal — Blended Scotch whisky of Chivas Brothers (Pernod Ricard); according to the company archive, created in 1909 by Charles Howard as a blend with 25-year-old whisky.
Similar
🥃 Dewar's 18 Year Old · 🥃 Dewar's 15 Year Old · 🥃 Dewar's White Label · 🥃 Royal Salute 38 Year Old Stone of Destiny · 🥃 Cutty Sark 12 Year Old · 🥃 Royal Salute 21 Year Old Signature Blend
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- Dewar's (producer): 12 Year Old (40 %; two-stage ageing; finished in first-fill bourbon casks; 30 malt and grain whiskies)
- Difford's Guide: Dewar's 12 Year Old (40 %; 12 years; about six months of marrying in oak after blending; Aberfeldy influence)
- Scotchwhisky.com (Whiskypedia): Dewar's (1846 Perth; White Label 1899; Aberfeldy; 12-, 18- and 25-year-old expressions)
- Dewar's (producer): full range (Classic, Premium, Double Double collections; White Label has no age statement)
- The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2890), reg. 3: definition and categories of Scotch Whisky (Scotland, oak up to 700 l, min. 3 years, min. 40 % ABV)
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)