After slumbering for years in oak casks, it’s time for Dewar’s two newest whiskies to see the light of day. The name of the handcrafted Dewar’s 12 means that each of the whiskies used to make it has hibernated in the Highlands for at least a dozen years (and some of them much longer than that). Its recipe dates back even further, all the way to the distiller’s beginnings, in 1846. The reward for all that waiting is a fine whisky indeed. With its regal brass coloring; airy wafts of honey, wildflower, and citrus; a palate reveling in rounded notes of brown sugar and molasses; and a robust finish marked by the faintest trace of sea salt, it’s a fine tribute to John Dewar and Sons’ 150-plus years of distilling expertise.

But Dewar’s Signature goes it one better. We seldom write about big-ticket items in this space, but we’re making an exception this week. Yes, Signature retails for $200 a bottle. But there are only 1000 bottles of it on the market. And, simply put, the stuff is amazing. Dewar’s master blender Tom Aiken blends Aberfeldy 27-year-old single-malt with whiskies — at least one of which, Glen Deveron, is no fewer than 37 years old — from each of Scotland’s distilling regions (Highland, Lowland, Island, Speyside, Campbeltown, and Islay). Once they’re all commingled, it’s back to the barrel, to lie low and get to know each other for a while. What emerges is far, far better than the sum of its parts — gorgeous and golden brown, with a sweetly aromatic nose recalling butterscotch, vanilla, and hearty fruit. Its viscous consistency leaves it clinging in sheets to the sides of the glass, but the flavor is anything but heavy. It’s delicate, understated, and balanced, with a clean, dry finish hinting slightly of the earthy reek of peat.

Available at most Kappy’s Liquors stores, and (by the glass) at Top of the Hub, Prudential Center, Boston.