Dewar's Ilegal Smooth

Nose: Shy malt with a light orchard and stone-fruit presence. You do notice aromas associated with agave spirit but they are light and if nosed blind I would not be able to say if this was a mescal or tequila cask, and I certainly couldn’t pick the brand. It’s just not bold enough to allow that sort of discrimination. There’s a tiny hint of ash in the foundation which is very pleasant. Palate: Typical sweet and mildly fruit/cereal Dewar’s house style in the arrival, but it gives way to a growing mescal note as it develops. A little spice is the first thing noticed but instead of the expected gingery quality it takes a left turn into mild vegetal and peppery flavours, with a touch of ash in the background. As with the nose you definitely notice something different to standard Dewars White Label (or 12 year old for that matter), but it’s really not until you know it is mezcal cask finished that the nature of what you are tasting becomes clear. Once you do, however, the presence of mescal as a finish is obvious, and it works very well. The texture is good for a blend, with the foundation Aberfeldy distillate contributing its usual creamy and honeyed qualities. Finish: Very Short. Cereal and a trace of peppered honey with a green vegetative background at the end, but it is a very fast finish. A minute after swallowing there is hardly any trace you ever had it on the palate. This is the second of the Dewar’s cask finished “smooth” range I’m currently tasting. As with the mizunara cask expression I had yesterday it’s satisfying that it has an identifiably individual finish (I wonder if the port cask Portuguese Smooth I’m tasting next will continue the trend?). There’s not much more to add. This blended scotch is just fine as an easy, relaxing sipper neat or over ice, it works as a mixer and it’s reasonably priced. It does offer something more than the standard White Label blend and I'd happily buy this again. I like it a fraction better than the mizunara cask expression so I'm giving it one percentage point more, which gives it the same rating I've previously given to Dewar's 12 year old. “Above Average” : 81/100 (3 stars)

Thanks @cascode for curating the best two offerings from the Dewars ‘Smooth’ range. Aside from loathing the use of the word smooth for anything but sleight of hand or topography; I am grateful to get to try my first Dewars liquids, allbeit a smooth one. Fitting that I should move onto these having just finished a bottle of Aberfeldy (12) which I understand is the back bone of a Dewars blend. N: Malt heavy with a sweet fruity tingle/burn. I am not that well acquainted with tequila or mezcal so I don’t know if I am noting anything from the cask. There is something vaguely vegetal and crisp in here (like a green bell pepper) with an undertone of herbal smoke or ash. P: A little thin but heading towards creamy. Immediately hit by a smoky honey with dark caramel. This is followed up by some more of the bell pepper but also cracked black pepper. I think I find the tequila as the interplay of vegetal peppery spice and sticky honey-caramel. I get very little out of this. F: Short. Surprisingly creamy, like oaked chardonnay, a got dose of more vegetal pepper spice and some grainy ash. Erm. I honestly don’t know what to say about this. It feels like generic blended malt but with a vaguely interesting vegetal and peppery character to set it apart from bottom shelf generic drams. I’m not fully convinced I know enough about mezcal or Dewars to pass any kind of judgement but for me, its a forgettable but perfectly acceptable, ‘meh’. Thanks again Overlord @cascode Distiller whisky taste #248 [Pictured here with a replica (orange) reconstruction (brown) of the original Austalopithecus afarensis skull, better known as; Lucy. At 3.2 million years old Lucy (or A.L. 288-1) was discovered in Hadar, Ethiopia in 1974. Her jaw shares features with both apes and other early hominids. Although the brain size was relatively small, the rest of the skeleton indicated she walked upright, supporting the idea that bipedalism preceded the development of large brains. And why ‘Lucy’? The night she was found the paleontological team celebrated in camp with a cassette of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds playing on repeat.]

If you’ve ever stood around and stared at the whisky wall and thought, I’d like to try something new, but wasn’t looking to spend a bunch of money, then you know how I felt seeing this odd Dewars with what looks like a spelling mistake on the label. I’ve had my fair share of this brand, so was happy to try this out. Nose gives that classic blended aroma; some rich unctuous notes from the malt, and whiffs of shiny ethanol from the grain. Some honey, reduced stone fruit compote with just the faintest hint of char and smoke way in the back. The Mezcal isn’t really showing itself yet. Initially the palate delivers more gooey honey and oatmeal, which quickly brings in some light pepper and then some damp vegetal smoke which is probably the remnants of the Mezcal cask. Unfortunately it disappears about as fast as you can discern it, so you are in flavour-town for about 1.5 seconds and then you’re wanting more. If only this came in a higher proof it could be so much better. Finish is pretty much non existent, which is standard for most Dewars except some the longer aged expressions. Is it worth 30 dollars? Sure, it fills it’s role of tasting good and fading into the background for the price, but if you blind poured this and didn’t know it was Mezcal finished I don’t believe you’d know. So get it if you need a budget blend, not if you’re hoping for a funky adventure.

I'm not a Dewar's fanboy, but I like their stuff just fine. In my mind its the scotch equivalent of Old No. 7. Dependable, consistent and not a bad value. So while I was standing in the local emporium wondering what might entertain my taste buds tonight, this was an easy $25 decision. Right away I can recognize the Dewar's White Label DNA. Classic blended scotch with just a bit more of a grain alcohol edge than I'd like, but not so bad that I'd kick her out for eating crackers in bed. It's the mid palate where I get something interesting. There's a nice agave sweet vegetal note, a bit of non-peat smoke, and an echo of mezcal that remains on the exhale. The finish is so fast as to be nearly a ghost, there's no bite and the SMOOTH moniker is truth in advertising. Nothing about this is offensive if you like scotch whisky and you're not a militant single-malt Ken or Karen. I rate on a simple scale where average, run-of-the-mill product will score according to a bell curve. The majority of offerings should place between 2 and 3 on this scale. Above 4 is the realm of the very best. Below 2 are liquids I prefer to avoid (think Black Velvet). This is solidly average and I'm adding a quarter point for creativity. This is a worthwhile taste and I'll certainly enjoy the bottle. There might even be another in my future.

Having enjoyed the Portuguese Smooth, I decided to try the Ilegal expression. Light-gold color. Sweet-fruity nose. Initially it’s very light and seriously smooth on the palate with nice citrus notes, but that sweetness quickly fades and is replaced with the Mezcal influence that brings in a sour but pleasant finish. Unlike the Portuguese Smooth, this doesn’t give any indications that it’s a Dewars. Overall, a very nice summer dram. I added a dash of water which immediately toned down the sour finish. I haven’t tried it over ice, but I suspect it would be good. I prefer the Portuguese Smooth because it fits my palate preference better, but I’m not disappointed with this purchase — especially at just over $20. If you are a Mezcal/Tequila fan this is definitely worth giving a go.

I finally decided to give this a try after seeing several positive/semi-positive reviews. I am glad I did. Somehow it works. This is light whisky blend, with so little malt in it it is hard for me to place it a a Scotch. In a blind tasting I don't think I could. The mezcal cask influence is clearly there offering a touch of grassy agave and that musky smoke of a traditional mezcal. In a true blind tasting many would take this for a delicate mezcal---perhaps finished in a former whisky barrel. If this blend had more malt in it, I don't think the overall flavor balance would work. Anyway, it is a pleasant alternate drink and is only $22 where I live. Cheers!