A little over a year ago when I started this whisky journey my first budget scotch was Dewars white label. Not the best intro, however since then the 12/15/18 and even Caribbean cask have repaired the relationship. Excited to try the 21 with its almost wine like color and higher ABV. The nose is unsurprisingly rich, with decadent jammy fruit notes. Sweetness is provided from smells of dates and raisins. The grain portion of this dram does show up with some shiny ethanol dominating the middle layer, but if you work through that you find malt and cocoa way in the back. The palate starts off with some funk, which makes sense when thinking about the number of, and type of barrels this liquid went through. The malt that was lacking in the nose shows up here, paired with honey and baking spice. The 21 years also softened all the edges, so the hope of any drama comes from the 46% which this desperately needs. So far so good, except there is a thinness here snatches all this flavour from you before you are finished. I’m not sure if this is due to the blend of grain or age, but it’s noticeable. With that said there isn’t much to share with the finish, some oaky notes and a little dried fruit, but not much else. It’s just over too fast. 39 CAD for a 21 year old anything is pretty good, and that’s how I’d classify this. The flavours are good and it tastes expensive, but only for a flash and then it’s gone. I don’t regret snagging it, but it just isn’t good enough to buy again.