Dewar's 15 Year The Monarch

N: Sweet fruit, then floral and medicinal notes. Fruit is peach first, then leaning orchard with pear and apple. Faintly bready and nutty as well. Very pleasant, but also a bit nondescript. Too hard of a swirl brings out way more ethanol than expected - casual drinking and nosing doesn't get there, but a hard swirl in search of more scents is rewarded with booze and numbness. M: Interestingly different from the nose. Dark cherries, milk chocolate powder, then apples with faint sourness. Very mild smoke with faraway leather and cigar like flavors. Heavy, coating mouthfeel, almost chewy - and quite nice in that way. Finish is light, but persistent, cinnamon and clove. Chocolate flavors also build over time and mingle pleasantly with the spice. Nothing really pops and wows in this bottle, but the overall experience is, as I said, quite nice. Feels about right for the price. Definite step up from the 12 year. I would buy this again, but wouldn't go out of my way for it either.

Dark amber honey and oak, with dried fruit aftertaste. Hint of lemon that makes it a refreshing drink

Johnnie Walker 12 year black move over for the Monarch 15 year old from Dewar's. One thing that I always noticed and kept me from absolutely loving the JW black label was the heavy presents of the grain whiskey. The Dewar's also contains grain to be sure but it isn't leaping out of the glass at me probably because it's hidden behind a sherry cask layer. Nose is immediately fruit both the darker sherry raisin, plum, fig but also the lighter pear and apple. Floral hay/grass and heather is also very distinct on this one. Some underlying sweetness like light honey and vanilla. Palate is very inviting the light fruit and sweet honey notes come out first with some of the floral grass notes then the sherry cask comes in with the red fruit and notable sherry flavor (think GlenDronach) because the oak comes in next and makes for a semi dry oaky sherry flavor. Finally some barrel spice and a touch of alcohol tingle comes in toward the finish to make this dram mouthwatering. Finish is the longer end of short with the fruit, sherry, sweet and oak lingering around but with no bitterness. This is steps above J&B or Cutty Sark and has even edged out JW Black for me as a daily drinker and one I wouldn't be hurt to add some ice to in the summer. It's 15 years and roughly the same price tag as the JW black 12 year, however still doesn't rise above the taste of the JW Double black or the quality of the all single malt 15 year from JW.

The nose is coconut and salty butterscotch. Decidedly tropical and creamy, like vanilla and toffee. There is some barrel wood oils, followed by jasmine and heather-y florals. It's a bit sulphuric too. I'm not in love with the aroma, but it isn't unpleasant. Coconut dominates. The taste is piña colada and more coconut. The creamy vanilla has a sharp, bitter second wave: barrel tannins with just a hint of bitter sherry. A droplet of water does wonders, letting the vanilla bloom and sweeten up. The texture is slick and oily, and it doesn't disappear easily. The finish is a sharp, bitter flavor that isn't quite doing it for me. Barrel char, tobacco ash. A plastic toy set. It's all just way too harsh for something aged a decade and a half.

I quite enjoyed the Dewar's12yr ancestor so this was next up. Reasonably priced($38)for a 15 yr scotch albeit a blend. Poured neat, takes a couple minutes to open up. Nose comes in with sweet candied lemon, ripe fresh cut red apple, mild malt and light wood. Palate is refined malty honey, toffee, wood and grain that adds a touch of bitterness. Even at 15 yrs grain is there. Finish is drying malt and wood with light honey and more grain notes trailing. You can taste the Aberfeldy malt coming through with its sweet richness but the balance seems a little off to me with more bitterness than I like. Its still a pretty good blend but you can get the superior Aberfeldy 12 year for less so no need for this. Plus the 12 year Dewars ancestor is better as well...........76/100