I've been slowly making the rounds around the city, popping into local liquor stores to see if there's any dustys or surprises. So far not too much, and I generally leave empty handed. On this particular day, I went to a shop on the other side of the city that prides itself on its bourbon selection. Fair enough. That's an excuse to get out of the house. I get there, and not only is the bourbon selection rather small, it's mostly bottles I can get for $15-$20 less at a big store. I get it, the little guy doesn't have the buying power of Total Wine. There was a store pick of 1792 Full Proof which intrugiued me, but I didn't feel like spending $80 for it, not when there's holiday shopping to do. Enter this bottle. I was about to leave when the owner made the sad puppy dog face at me. You've all seen it. The one that says, "Please sir. Just one bottle." I didn't want to be a total Scrooge (or Mallory Archer) and leave the poor guy high and dry, especially after the year we've had, so I quickly scanned the shelf (realizing their scotch selection was actually quite extensive. I will go back for that), and grabbed this. I like Dewars White Label in a pinch if the bar has nothing else, and I was intrigued by the age statement (plus they market the hell out of this in Whisky Advocate). For $30, I was willing to take the risk. I've been nursing this now for a few days and I've got about 1/3 of the bottle empty, and I gotta say, I can't find anything bad to say about this whisky. The big boys know how to play, I'll give them that. This is at once creamy, interesting, and has enough complexity to keep me interested while being completely unobtrusive and easy to drink. The nose is perfume and incense and spice. There's notes of coconut, marzipan, vanilla fondant, and kettle corn, all wrapped in a warm sherry blanket. Dewars makes a point of their "aging after blending", which I suspect takes place in some second fill sherry casks. The palate is creamy and enveloping, like if a strawberry short cake could hug you. It's sweet and inviting and velvety and makes you want to come back for another sip. Anybody who dumps on grain whisky for being harsh and metallic (present company included) won't find that here. The grain component has been aged well and complements the malt in more of a partnership than a supporting role. The finish is warm and velvety, and lasts longer than any 40% ABV dram has the right to. As I said earlier, nothing bad to say about this. I suspect the bottle won't last long. If I were rating this on the merits of blended whisky alone, it would get a high score, but honestly, it's just a damn good drink. Most places have it for $20-$30, so why not try it for yourself. At the very least it's a nice drink with some complexity to savor while we wait for the Single Malt tariffs to be repealed and prices to resume some sanity. Cheers!