|
                             
|
 |
|
Whisky
Tasting Journey: October 2008
By Glen
Karlovitch
Johnnie Walker |
Even with
the growing popularity of single malts,
blends still make up 90% of Scotch
whisky sales. American's prefer the
Johnnie Walker Blends and Dewars. While
the Scotts prefer the Famous Grouse and
the English reach for Bells.
The Johnnie Walker blends seemed perfect
for this months tasting journey. They’re
all readily available, most are
reasonably priced and have five malts in
the standard range.
Johnnie Walker Red: Intended for
blending, this dram can definitely
stand on its own. Rough around the
edges, this whisky doesn’t hide the
fact that it’s still fairly young
(at about 8 years old). Inexpensive
and readily available, Red is a
great choice if you like scotch with
some bite. This is my Dad's favorite
whisky and one that I frequently
enjoy over ice.
Nose: Youthful, grassy, honey,
pepper
Body: Medium Bodied
Finish: Flavorful but short, a tab
bitter with some heat, nice burst of
peat, floral, honey, fruit cake at
Christmas
Solid. |
 |
| |
Johnnie
Walker Black:
An incredibly smooth, well balanced
dram that I enjoy either neat or
over ice. Johnnie Black is my
everyday malt. Rich in flavor, it
has everything you want in a blend.
Almost too smooth, it’s tough to put
on the breaks when you’re enjoying
this dram. My cabinet is never
without the 1.75 liter bottle. A
high quality and solid everyday
blend.
Nose: Hay, honey and vanilla,
caramel, a touch of peat, roasted
cart nuts, oak, some salt and milk
chocolate
Body: Light, a whisper
Finish: Medium length and
very flavorful, some subtle heat,
light smoke, oak, fruit
My everyday (intravenous)
dram. |
 |
|
|
Johnnie Walker Green:
A very good smoky malt in the
Highland style. Not as sweet, but
offers more smoke and complexity.
Previously bottled under the
controversial ‘Pure Malt’ title this
dram is not a blend but a vatted
malt. A good dram that represents
the Highland region well. Although
it’s one of the best of the Johnnie
Walker range I couldn’t suppress the
feeling that the dram seemed ‘over
engineered’ in order to produce a
text book old style Highland Malt.
Nose: Smoky (like a Kentucky
smokehouse), salt, grass, dry peat,
coastal feel, fresh, leather
Body: Medium bodied, smoky
Finish: Long, spicy and dry, some
heather and smoke
A classic Highland malt but maybe a
little too engineered. |
|
|
Johnnie Walker Gold: I’m not
sure what to think of any dram that
you’re instructed to freeze in order
to really enjoy. Gold has a
youthfulness in the nose that
surprised me given its 18 year old
age statement. A heavy syrupy malt
that offers full rich flavor but
lacks true complexity. Not one of my
favorites in the Johnnie Walker
range that’s simply outclassed by
the younger Black label. Freezing
the whisky does add an interesting
twist but at around $80 to put a
bottle, I’ll stick to Dr.
McGillicutty's.
Nose: Butterscotch, youthful,
honey, burnt sugar, fresh, orange
zest
Body: Medium, very smooth
Finish: Short, honey and
peat, toasted oak
Buy two bottles of Black and
call it a day. |
 |
|
|
Johnnie Walker Blue:
Perfection in a bottle! That was my
first reaction to Blue label way
back when I first started drinking
Scotch. It was the pinnacle of my
limited whisky world. This ultra
whisky has lost some of the awe I
once reserved for it but it still is
a very good if not great whisky.
Blue has a wonderfully complex nose
and no one flavor really jumps out.
The body is flavorful and smooth but
I could have used more character in
the finish. You still know your
drinking something special and Blue
does wear its age very well but I’ve
had much better blends in my
travels.
Nose: Very subtle, peat
smoke, fresh cut grass, oak, toasted
almonds, almond oil, honey, vanilla,
earthy
Body:
Medium and very smooth
Finish:
Medium, very smooth, oranges, hint
of smoke and peat
The ultra
premium blend for the beginner. |
 |
Previous |
|
|
|
|