Such is certainly the case with Dewar’s latest limited release, Double Double 37 Year Old—a blended malt that is made up of four 37-year-old single malts from the Highland and Islay regions. The final assemblage of liquids—which includes a scant measure of Dewar’s last Double Double release, a 36 Year Old (aged one additional year)—is finished in ex-Oloroso sherry casks that once contained Aultmore single malt. The end result is a truly intoxicating, rich and creamy whisky, one that’s bursting with heather honey, ripe peaches, orange peel and brown sugar.

“There is always a bit of an unknown when our whiskies are being matured or finished,” says Dewar’s Master Blender Stephanie Macleod. “We understand the origin of most of the flavor profiles, but not all of it. So while my background as a scientist and the knowledge that my team and I have amassed equips us to have quite a good hunch of what will happen when we’re working on something new, there’s a bit of chance and magic thrown in there, too. That’s the beauty of it.”

For those reasons, the challenges that Macleod and her team encountered as they set out to create this limited-edition whisky were no different than those that they faced when creating any of the other unique expressions that have come before it. On the other hand, what this whisky would be and what it represented—namely Macleod’s first blended malt since she stepped into her role 17 years ago and, more significantly, the brand’s highest age statement to date—raised the bar of expectations.

“There is always the pressure that we place on ourselves to create a whisky we’re proud of,” she says, “and that pressure is increased when you’re working with a liquid that was laid down to age such a long time ago.”

The first in the Collector’s Series of blended malts pays homage to the whisky-making tradition of Speyside. In total, the set will comprise four blended malts that are each finished in unique and innovative ways. “What’s important to my team and me is creating whiskies that make whisky lovers excited about—and intrigued by—what they might discover next,” Macleod explains.

As for what’s next, the Dewar’s Collector’s Series will soon include a 38 year old, a 39 year old, and a 40 year old, each of which will be released in successive years, beginning with the 38 year old’s debut in 2024. “They’ll certainly feel like part of the same collection but each with something distinct and interesting for whisky lovers,” Macleod says. “Each of the whiskies will be connected to one another, with a bit of the liquid from the previous blend aged on for a further year to form a part of the next year’s expression.”

That element of conception—an interpretation of the Solera method used to age sherry (where small amounts of previous batches are mixed with younger wines)—served as a key inspiration for the creation of Double Double 37 Year Old. But as Macleod explains, the rationale that Dewar’s employed was more romantic. In particular, it was a blender’s homage to the very art and craft of Scottish whisky distillation.

“The concept of deliberately setting aside a portion of the [previous] blend and aging on for another year to incorporate it into the newly created blend reflects the whisky making traditions of Scotland,” she says, “where the experience and knowledge of one generation informs and is blended with the next generation to create an evolution in whisky making.”

Click here to learn more about Dewar’s Double Double 37 Year Old