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Scotch Whisky Review: Dewar's 21 Year Old Double Double Magma Stone Toasted

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Scotch Whisky Review: Dewar’s 21 Year Old Double Double Magma Stone Toasted

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Item: Scotch Whisky Review: Dewar's 21 Year Old Double Double Magma Stone Toasted
Rating: 8
Author: Phil Dwyer

in an unusual but becoming more common theme, this whisky has been finished in French virgin oak that has been toasted using Icelandic magma stones. This charring has produced the equivalent of a level 3 barrel char for the cask.

by Phil Dwyer
May 12, 2025

Phil Dwyer is a freelance whisky writer, YouTuber, and former manager of The Whisky Shop Manchester, UK.

Tasting Notes:

About:

From the most awarded blending house in the world, here we have a twist on one of their very popular release. Dewar’s 21 Year Old Double Double takes aged and vatted components from the grain and malt side. These separate components are then put together to create this final product. However,Quite a story before even being able to taste the liquid!

Appearance:

Golden

Nose:

Lots of fresh, buttery pastry, cinnamon and a touch of saltiness. There are some nice stone fruits like apricots and cherry, but they’ve been cooked down and have become more jammy. The most dominant fruit note is this lovely, bitter Seville style orange marmalade.

Powdered sugar, almonds, more fresh pastries and a sharp jolt of yuzu.

Palate:

The salt shines through first on the palate. Quickly followed by some well aged character notes such as leather and tobacco. I’m unsure of the sherry content of this, but has some subtle nods to that.

These jammy fruits make another appearance, the same notes of orange, apricot and cherry. You get very little oak influence at all, there’s some spice but that’s more driven by the alcohol content. This still has some youth and bounce about it.

Some cooking spice notes of cinnamon and nutmeg, a touch of milky coffee and some brown sugar notes.

Finish:

There’s the oak! A little twang of wood just as the whisky goes down your throat. More of that tobacco and leather note as well now. There’s almost a note that could be perceived as peat, if not that then certainly a very gentle, salty smokiness which is unexpected but very welcome. It’s leading with that tobacco, sweet style of smoke that is well regarded in older Islay whiskies. A littler herbal with some burnt notes of sage and rosemary, even some coriander. Lengthy finish that feels endless once you’ve swallowed the last drop.

Comments:

This is one of the best older blends I’ve tried, weirdly enough they aren’t something I get to try a lot of! There are multitudes to this whisky across smell, taste and finish. What the magma char of the final cask is doing to it, I’m unsure. However, this is a wonderful bottle of old blended whisky to have in the house.

A very welcoming nose with a palate and finish that sends you into a few different places. A great bottle for after dinner, paired with a cigar, or even something to put head to head with some other old blends that tend to be a lot more expensive.

Fair play to Dewar’s for this. I’ve always been a fan of the regular 12 year old expression – its a bargain and is delicious. It is nice to see something older without a crazy price tag showcasing the depth that their blended whiskies can offer.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Phil Dwyer

Phil Dwyer is a freelance whisky writer and consultant. With a decade of experience in whisky retail and nearly as long running Whisky Wednesday on YouTube, Phil is dedicated to sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm with fellow whisky lovers. His goal is to make whisky accessible and enjoyable, dispelling the jargon and complexity that can sometimes surround the spirit. In addition to his online presence, Phil managed The Whisky Shop Manchester, where he curated an impressive selection of some of the finest drams available.

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