Just pick this up at Duty Free on my way back from Jamaica 🇯🇲 …a liter for $40 😆 …I said Bring it on!!! Always wanted to try it…will probably open it come Friday or Saturday
Here in the UK this retails for around £45. If I'm buying this based on your review, I'm buying it to either mix, or stick a rock in and forget about. Monkey shoulder is available (on offer) in at least one of our big four supermarkets all year round for less than £25. I know what I'm buying!
Your notes are dead on with my view of this 15yo but at the end of the day it's still $45 for a blend that doesn't really go anywhere and I can get the key Single Malt component Aberfeldy 12 for $38, which has everything this is missing.
Dewar's 12 is my go-to blend, I found the 15 to be much drier and less flavorful. The alcohol taste/ smell is more present too. Its not bad, but honestly the 12 is better and cheaper. In my area the 12yr is around $25 and I just paid $37 for the 15
Surprised you were so harsh on it. It is available in half gallons (1.75L) which makes it even more affordable. For a blend and the price it is a good bang for the buck. I liked it better than Monkey Sholder but not Glenmorangie 10 year old which is about the same price.
Hey Brad, we are using our coins (many whisky tubers have their own)...They are reminiscent of challenge coins if you're familiar with those. We cover the whisky to keep the vapors in as the whisky is opening up so we are sure to catch everything on the nose. Usually the longer and more oxygen the whisky is exposed too the more apt to change...to a certain point and we just don't want to miss the steps along the way! ;-) Here's a link to our coins (click the merch link): www.scotch4dummies.com/
In South Africa we get this quite cheap and at 43% abv making it a ridiculously good buy. It's priced around the same as JW double black and imo just as good, maybe a bit better. I put this into a blind for myself with Glen Scotia Victoriana, Hazelburn 10, Craigellachie 13, Glen Scotia 15, Springbank 10 and Paul John Brilliance. I picked out the last 3 fairly easily (I'd never actually tried Springbank 10 or Glen Scotia 15, these were neck pours too) but it was actually quite difficult to work out which was which. I ended up thinking Craigellachie 13 was Dewar's 15 and that Dewar's 15 was Glen Scotia Victoriana (51.5% version). I very slightly prefered the Victoriana. For me that proved its value for money, beating out two scotch offerings that are over double the price. I will say my bottle of Dewar's 15 initially tasted more like Aultmore 12 (It's part of the Dewar's stable) but as I've gone through it, it's more like Craigellachie 13. I think it's quite good at being scotch, it doesn't wow or amaze but it's solid and reasonably affordable. I think Dewar's single malts may be better value depending on pricing, we don't get Aberfeldy or Royal Brackla here so I've not had those yet. Judging by those who've had Aberfeldy, it sounds really good.
This is $29 near me and if you want something light and pretty to have around to let people curious about scotch to try it's fine for that. If you're already down the malt whisky rabbit hole it's probably a pass? For $1 less can have a Naked Grouse. Cheers
I've compared to the 12. I like the 15. It's good, but blind testing, I don't find it being much better than the 12. Not enough to warrant the price. The 12, though, definitely is worth it. The 12 is great, and at a lowish price (for a 12 year old blend). The 15 is a bit better, maybe, for a lot more money.
None of you mentioned any age considerations in the dram. Does it taste like a "15" i.e more depth, more balanced, etc. Is it a deeper more rich version of the 12 or white?
We need to do a Dewar's lineup I think. I don't remember the 12 although I think we mentioned that it typically did well on our blinds when it was in rotation.
Age doesn't equal value (Drew mentioned he'd rather have Monkey Shoulder, $27 where I'm at), And age doesn't equal quality. I had a bottle of Dewars 18 a few years back, paid $55-$60. Never finished the bottle. For that $45 you spent I can get Ardbeg 10, Glendronach 12, Jonny Walker Green, Balvenie 12, Laphroaig Quarter Cask, Glenmorangie La Santa... you see where I'm going with this? Love you guys but please don't dew anymore Dewars! Cheers!!!
We get your point...and don't disagree....BUT, first...where the heck are you getting Glendronach 12 for $45? I want in on that...LOL. OK, seriously you are on point with the price point of the bottle and what you can get for that price...although what if someone doesn't want peat...half of those are out the door and blends are aught to be more "approachable" due to the "watering down" if you will with the grain spirit....don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this over any of those...but Dewar's sells more in the US than any other scotch....can't argue that. Anywho, love the conversation so keep on chiming in! Cheers, ~Mark
@@Scotch4Dummies Thanks for the response Mark. I think we both know Dewars is #1 because of price and availability, and people blend it. Most people watching your reviews are probably not looking for their "next mixed drink" scotch purchase. Regarding the Glendronach 12 price, I actually paid $36.99 at my local Costco! That's where they have a pallet of Lagavulin 16 for $65 that just sits there... because new Lag 16 sucks! But back to great prices, that would be an interesting idea for a video or livestream "what are the top 5 deals you've ever found for scotch\whiskey?". And not mistakes that the store made (wrong label\misslabeled bottle in wrong place or advertising error). That's how I got the Balvenie 15 SB Sherry for $57.99, it was the stores mistake but they honored the price! "Better to be lucky than good" Cheers!!!
What arrogants.....entry level for one that does not drink scotch....I love ardbeg, glengoyne ...but I will drink this one any day for cad 59 for 1.75l.....no shame on that.....learn from Ralfy to be smArt.....at least and do not pretend you know more than him
