s the fourth iteration in the "Smooth" series, in which the label's scotch is finished in a variety of casks, including mezcal, Caribbean rum, and port. Dewar's has used Japanese mizunara oak as a finishing vessel for its eight-year-old, double-aged blended scotch this time.

The whisky pours a light gold color in the glass. It has a soft, fruity nose with strong honey and a discernible prune-like sweetness, as well as floral notes of honeysuckle and light, acidic fruits such as peaches and mandarin oranges.

It has a light body and a gentle mouthfeel, with bright peach, pear, and mandarin orange slices coated in honey. The honey-coated, fruity, and floral mellowness continues to the center, where the first stirrings of mizunara greet us: a faint whisper of churchy incense and spicy sandalwood.

These are flavors that anyone who has tried mizunara will recognize, albeit in a much lighter (though no less enjoyable) form. The sandalwood spice fades gradually towards the cereal-forward finish, which becomes maltier and sweeter, leaving only a trace of spice at the end.

Dewar's Japanese Smooth lives up to its name, but it isn't a boozy, cruise-control whisky. This one's alive and well, with delightful fruit and honey flavors at first and a subtle, satisfying seasoning of mizunara in the middle. While the finish is definitely on the mellow side, I enjoyed the malty-sweet hit it ended on.