John Dewar & Sons
 |
This article's tone or style may not reflect the formal tone used on Wikipedia. Specific concerns may be found on the talk page. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions. (December 2007) |
|
|
| Type | Scotch Whisky |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Bacardi |
| Country of origin | Scotland |
| Introduced | 1846 |
| Proof | 80 |
| Variants | White Label, Dewar's 12, Dewar's 18 Founder's Reserve, Dewar's Signature |
| Related products | Aberfeldy, Aultmore, Craigellachie, Glen Deveron, Royal Brackla |
Dewar's is a brand of blended Scotch whisky.
Contents |
[edit] History
The Dewar's whisky brand was created by John Dewar, Sr. in 1846. Under the control of his two sons, John A. Dewar Jr. (Lord Forteviot) and Thomas "Tommy" Dewar (Lord Dewar), the brand expanded to become a global market by 1896.[citation needed] Tommy became famous as the author of a travel journal, Ramble Round the Globe, which documented his travels while publicizing the Dewar name.[citation needed] Dewar's eventually expanded their product by constructing the Aberfeldy Distillery in 1896, which produces single malt Scotch whisky under the labels Aberfeldy 12 and Aberfeldy 21.
The company joined Distillers Company in 1925. Distillers was acquired by Guinness in 1986, and Guinness merged with Grand Metropolitan to form Diageo in 1997. Diageo sold Dewar's to Bacardi the next year.
[edit] Master Blenders
- A.J. Cameron was the first appointed Master Blender of the Dewar's brand. He was responsible for creating the Dewar's White Label blend whisky
- Tom Aitken has since retired in the summer of 2006, preceding the current Master Blender, but is responsible for creating the Dewar's 12 Blend Scotch Whisky and the Dewar's Signature blend.
- Stephanie Macleod is the current Master Blender and one of few senior women on the production side of Scotch Whisky.
[edit] Distilleries
- Aberfeldy, the home of the Aberfeldy 12-year and Aberfeldy 21-year single malt Scotch Whiskies.
- Aultmore, located in a remote part of the Speyside region of Scotland. This distillery was purchased by John Dewar from Alexander Edwards in the 1920s.[citation needed] Around Aultmore, the Foggie Moss provides a water source for the distillery.[citation needed]
- Craigellachie, in the region of Spey, founded in 1891.[citation needed] The distillery uses a spring on Little Conval Hill as their water source.[citation needed]
- Macduff, founded in 1962. It is located on River Deveron and pulls its water from the Gelly Burn.[citation needed]
- Royal Brackla, near Cawdor and Macbeth country. Founded in 1812 by Captain William Fraser, this was the first distillery to receive a royal warrant.[citation needed] Brackla draws its water from the Cowdor Burn.[citation needed]
[edit] Advertising
- Dewar's Scotch Whisky delivered the first motion picture advertisement for a drink in 1897. The advertisement was presented on the roof of a building in New York's Herald Square and was produced by the Edison Company.[citation needed]
- Andrew Carnegie sent a small barrel of Dewar's Whisky to President Benjamin Harrison in 1891. The President was criticized by the press for supporting a foreign brand and not a domestic bourbon, but this ended up doing wonders for Dewar's advertising as orders from all over the United States began to pour in for Dewars Whisky.[citation needed]
- The premier rugby union competition in Victoria, Australia, the Dewar Shield, is named for the company. The Shield, which, at 102 years, is the oldest continuous rugby competition in Australia, was donated by the company to the Victorian Rugby Union in 1909, to celebrate the Union's inauguration.[1]
[edit] In popular culture
- Dewar's is a favorite drink of the protagonist in Augusten Burroughs book entitled "Dry."
- Dewar's is a favorite drink of the protagonist in Linda Fairstein's Alexandra Cooper series.
