Bacardi Global Travel Retail has chosen the TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition (12-16 May) to feature a major innovation from its key Dewar’s blended Scotch whisky brand (Level 2, E11).
Dewar’s Double Double Stone Toasted is dubbed one of the key launches for the coming year, with a Discovery Pack of two expressions to feature exclusively in global travel retail with China Duty Free Group this month.
The Discovery Twin Pack includes two 75cl expressions: Double Double 21 Year Old Stone Toasted Cask with Magma, using American Oak and French Oak. The whiskies have a 46% ABV, natural colour and no chill filtration, and an RRP of US$440. The Discovery Pack will roll out to other travel retail locations in Asia Pacific, India and the Middle East and the Americas from June.
Bacardi Global Travel Retail Marketing Director Darragh Ryan said: “Premium whisky is a high growth opportunity for travel retail and a ‘must shop’ category for whisky connoisseurs and collectors, who consider travel retail a quality environment for new discoveries. Exclusive products like the Dewar’s Double Double 21 Year Old Stone Toasted are just the kind of innovations that inspire them.
“We are on a constant mission to bring dynamism to the category to inspire these shoppers, especially those who are curious to find new twists on this classic category and we have a strong pipeline of launches for the year ahead, led by Dewar’s Double Double Stone Toasted in May 2024.”
First revealed in 2019, Dewar’s Double Double is a small batch premium blended Scotch series, crafted using an innovative four-step ageing process. Featured whiskies have already won multiple international awards and strong global recognition. Stone Toasted is the latest iteration of the Dewar’s series highlighting new ways to enhance flavour possibilities through cask maturation.
The new expressions underline the influence of oak and how it is seasoned. Typically, the inside of a cask is ‘toasted’ or ‘charred’ over an open flame or oven, for a matter of seconds. However, stone toasting casks – a method pioneered only in the last decade for high-end wines – involves a gentler approach, taking hours rather than seconds and giving more precision on toast levels.
According to Bacardi, the non-combustion process uses Magma stones and water elements, which are combined with heat to create casks that are toasted, evenly and consistently. The rotating stones are warmed and gradually emit heat to gently open the oak’s pores, with adjustments to toasting durations yielding diverse flavour combinations.
Master Blender Stephanie Macleod explained: “Dewar’s is constantly innovating, so it’s only natural to explore how new flavour experiences can be created for our whisky drinkers.
“The Stone Toasting method was originally created for finishing wine, and I was intrigued to explore the effect on whisky. This series is all about showcasing the impact of the oak on the finishing liquid: American versus French, toasting levels and the source of the heat.”
In the final step of the four-stage Double Double ageing process, the blended Scotch whisky, which has aged for a minimum of 21 years, is finished for six months in stone-toasted casks. This phase is said to be crucial in influencing the final flavour. “Gently toasting the wood slowly opens the oak, which extracts softer, silkier textures and more refined, richer flavors from the cask,” Macleod added. ✈
