Johnnie Walker has been in operation for over two centuries, but despite that longevity, a woman has never held the position of master blender until recently. It is a blend of 5 single malts: Tormore, Longmorn, Allt ABhainne, Braevel and Strathisla. This whisky was actually taken off the market in 2012 and people lost their shit. Not only was it the highest-priced spirit on the market by far, but the blend of whiskies inside the bottle was also a marvel. It oozes with the character of a single malt whisky with the inclusion of rich toffee and fresh black pepper. Theres something here to suit every taste and every wallet! This is a BETA experience. There are over 8 Johnnie Walker Colours, 4 Explorers Club Collection, and 7 John Walker & Sons labels in the Johnnie Walker whisky shelf. Johnnie Walker Green Label, 43% ABV. AU $269.99. Everything from the square bottle to the slanted label to the Striding Man emblem makes Johnnie Walker the top dog in its industry. Looking to move up market, then consider the Chivas Regal Ultis, NAS, 40% ABV, 750 ml, $140. Compass Box is an interesting brand that sources and blends whiskies from various distilleries, providing as much transparency about the process as they are allowed to (those pesky NDAs sometimes get in the way). BottledPrices.comdoes not provide advertisements or recommendations on alcoholic beverage brands. While other distilleries tried to catch up with the prestige of Blue Label and more and more were born through the bourbon boom of the 2000s, Blue Label remained at the top. See wine-searcher.com for retailers still carrying it. Balblair HOME. Every sip you take grants you new discoveries from the previous one. Rebel The juice is a blend of single malts only, making it a pure malt and not a blended scotch whisky (that blends malt and grain whiskies). $359.95. For over 200 years now, the iconic Johnnie Walker label has been a favored whisky blend, with a total of 19 varieties in its collection. Ah, but malt master Brian Kinsman adds a sublime touch, finishing the 21 Year Old in Caribbean rum casks that rouse exotic fruit flavors such as mango, lime, and banana. The Explorers Club is an international non-profit organization, dedicated to scientific research exploration and expedition planning. Mild notes of spice mingle with bright and sweet fruits and a hint of vanilla. The thing is, there is still a good deal of subtlety to this 10-year-old spirit, which is aged in a combination of bourbon barrels and wine casks and has a PPM of 40 (thats pretty smoky, to be clear). You can sometimes find it overseas for around $200. 1 x 750ML. If you do somehow manage to capture every single one of these semi-rare beasts, tag me with the evidence at @RobbReport. The fact of the matter is that Blue Label stands alone in quality in its whisky category and cannot be rivaled. Glenallachie Johnnie Walker Black Label is a true icon, recognized as the benchmark for all other deluxe blends. . You may opt-out by. If you do snag a bottle, make sure to add some water or a rock and really let the scotch bloom in the glass. Jim Murrray's Best Blended Scotch Whisky of the Year for 2009. This Tennessee Craft Distillery Is Making Some of the Best Whiskey in the State. Free postage. Truly a game changer in the whisky world, Aberlour ABunadh has commanded a cult-like following since it was introduced in 1997. Smells like the sea, with notes of leather, eucalyptus oil and pine. Johnnie Walker Gold Label 18 year traditionally retailed for around $85, this new Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve was initially rumored to come in around the $65 price point (a fair adjustment for a much younger product), but unfortunately, much to our surprise, Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve comes in at the painfully high $87. JOHNNIE WALKER 18 YR. 1 x 750ML. Okay, maybe not so simple. Featuring a combination of fantastic malt and grain whiskies, this blend has become world-renowned for its incredible quality. the pioneering blend of the brand. Drink responsibly. As far as best goes, while the term is inherently subjective, if there is a person alive who cant find their own personal best in here, Id like to have a chat with them, preferably over a dram of Lagavulin 16 and explain to them, gently and with an excess of solicitude, that they should try more new things. This is an authentic re-creation of an original, 19th century blend that includes some 60-year-old malt whisky, and was sold only to their most valued customers at the time. Compass Box Every whisky in the Johnnie Walker lineup is worth trying, but Blue Label carries a sort of mystique; an intangible appeal worthy of the praise and price tag. Macallan Those changes have included the proliferation of age statements on blends as well as the release of ultra-premium blends both with and without age statements. If your wallet can afford it, they go for the Chivas Regal, 25 YO, 40% ABV, 750 ml, $280. This is an almost savory whisky, with a supporting cast of stone fruit, vanilla and even some honey notes, striking a nice balance throughout each sip. Blue is soft and mellow, with sherry, honey and vanilla notes. 1 Vintage collection, Grand Vintage Malt 1991 rates among Glenmorangies legendary director of distilling, Dr. Bill Lumsdens finest achievements. After fermentation, it's distilled twice to enhance alcohol content and flavor. A burst of sweet fruit and creamy smoothness. Add a few drops of water and the palate expands, with baking spice, toffee, pear and dried fig notes intermingling into something delightful. Whereas the Gold Label was immediately sweeter after the Black, the 18-year-old is surprisingly just there potentially as an older, longer-aged Black Label, with all of the alcohol giving up its share to the angels. Bruichladdichs core expression is actually unpeated, but the Port Charlotte range goes completely in the opposite direction with whiskies that are smoky like five-alarm fires. Weighing in at a whopping 120.6% ABV, this husky dram is struck through with heavy smoke and wood flavor and dense vegetal notes. Elixir Distillers According to Punch, Guinness UDV, Johnnie Walker's then-owner, saw a niche in the market to be filled by a status symbol spirit in the late 1980s. Created using only whiskies aged for a minimum of 12 years from the four corners of Scotland, Johnnie Walker Black Label has an unmistakably smooth, deep character. Every February, for as far back as anyone can recall, the folks at Aberlour in Speyside have been emptying a bottle of whisky into the River Spey to bless the beginning of salmon fishing season. Drink it neat or on the rocks. et up to 61% off Robb Report, plus a free tote bag. imagine this, the maturation process for the Green Label takes 15 years to complete with malt obtained from the different Scottish regions. Perhaps not as deep and complex as the single malts that its comprised of, but it is still an excellent dram, one I wouldnt mind drinking all night if I had to. So this is indeed a rare treat. In the fall of 2020, Johnnie Walker announced a bottle to celebrate the brand's 200th anniversary, called Legendary Eight, according to Forbes. I write about wines and spirits and the hidden corners of the world, Thinking About Black Wine Business Beyond Black History Month, Whisky Review: Compass Box, Benriach, Tobermory, And More, Vibrant Whites, Distinctive RedsAppreciating The Wines Of Friuli, Appreciating Some Of Italys Lesser Known Varietals And Grapes, Wine Cocktails That Take The Chill Off Winter, Bacardis Latest Cask Finished Rum Expressions Are Exceptional, The Worlds Best BourbonAccording To The 2023 World Whiskies Awards, The 5 Best Value Scotch Whiskies To Buy Now. Our whisky blends big, classic Johnnie Walker flavors with intriguing contemporary notes. The first and most heavily weighted aspect was taste. That is the beauty of being in the blending business. Not to mention, for the price you are paying for the bottle, every sip of it should be considered an indulgence fit only for special occasions. Smgen This involves boiling it in a large copper container called a still. Blended Scotch is already the perfect avenue toward encapsulating everything great in Scotch whisky and presenting it in a single spirit, and Blue Label not only accomplishes this feat but there is no other blended whisky that can match it. And wouldnt you know it, the salmon havent once raised an objection. Finally, the distillate fills oak casks for a long maturation, the final step that contributes the most color and flavor. Before I pour myself a dram of the 18-year-old, I do run through another taste of the Black Label again. Now, Jim Beveridge, who is the master blender for Johnnie Walker [retired in 2022], will say that the Blue Label should be reserved for a special occasion when one wants to celebrate something in the company of friends. These more delicate attributes work in harmony with the peat smoke to really bring the whiskey into balance. Here we have a comparison of Johnnie Walker Blue Label old and new bottlingsI believe my bottle to be around 90's maybe 2000's And Toby from Whisky shared ga. Johnnie Walker Platinum Label 18-Year-Old yes, as the name suggests this whisky may as well be older than your children. Glenturret the Blue Label was good, but definately not worth the money in my opinion. A subsidiary of Bacardi, Dewar's flagship White Label is consistently lauded as America's favorite single bottle of Scotch. Glencadam Add to Wish List. Johnnie Walker Gold has the affability of a blend without anything thats going to really challenge or offend anyone. What began as a shelf stock in a general store over 200 years ago has since blossomed into a global empire. Douglas Laing Blended whiskies, as Up Thirst notes, especially ones as premium as Blue Label, help to mask the peaty element of the single malt and elevate the sweeter, more comforting flavor notes. The finish is fairly long and is a superb blend of the sweet, smoky, and spice elements all coming to a slightly dry conclusion. See you in the Hebrides, my sweet angels. ABunadh is Scottish Gaelic for of the origins, a nod to Aberlours founder, James Fleming. Johnnie Walker Blue Label takes all of the aromas and flavors of good Scotch and enhances them to the pinnacle of their capabilities. Its eponymous distillery, established in 1794, produces whisky with a flavor profile that straddles the smoky style of the Scottish islands and the livelier, more toothsome malts made in the Highlands. The Colours are the more commonly known labels. Hakushu Johnnie Walker Blue Label: The Ultimate Bottle Guide. Only one in 10,000 casks are considered worthy of entering the blend that makes up the extraordinary Blue Label. Johnnie Walker Black Icons Edition 700mL Bottle. Review: Johnnie Walker Gold Label 18 vs. Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve. Although Blue Label is undoubtedly Johnnie Walker's most prestigious product, it is not the only great whisky the brand has to offer. Never take this one away from us again, Diageo. Both Johnnie Walker Platinum 18 Year Old and Johnnie Walker Blue Label are blended scotch whiskies. The entry for Gold Label Reserve feels a little thin and watery, which is a disconnect from the extremely expressive nose. But no, thats not how it is blended. Take in the . Johnnie Walkers premium line, including the now discontinued Johnnie Walker Green Label Malt Blend and Johnnie Walker Gold Label 18, along with the astronomically priced Johnnie Walker Blue, used to be much more focused on the blended whisky connoisseur. Ah, but malt master Brian Kinsman adds a sublime touch, finishing the 21 Year Old in Caribbean rum casks that rouse exotic fruit flavors such as mango, lime, and banana. WhisttlePig People get hung up on the word best, especially when that word comes attached to a phrase like 21 Best Whiskies You Can Buy Right Now. You can practically hear the protests alreadyBut if there are 21 of them, how can they all be best? To these people I say politely (and with infinite patience): Pipe down. The honey and vanilla notes play very nicely with the tannin and berry picked up from these wine casks. Begs to be paired with oysters and smoked salmon. Im not discouraging you from chasing those bottles, of course, but my purpose here is to let you know about the best scotches you have a chance in hell of finding via an online retailer or at a top-notch liquor store. Bunnahabhain 25 is an exemplar of elegance and balance. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Morrison and MacKay See also UK based mail order vendors like The Whiskey Exchange or Master of Malt, Johnnie Walker Gold Label Centenary 18 YO Blended Scotch Whisky. 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