Johnnie Walker Black Label

Loved and respected 12 years old blended Scotch. Born in 1909. Highly recognisable. The exceptional mixture of many whiskies in the iconic bottle.

I remember the day I put all my Johnnie Walker bottles together on the table. They looked great. I was sitting there, looking at them and thinking, “Gosh, I can’t even imagine how tasty they will be”. It’s great to have a child’s mind, isn’t it?

The Four Bottles of Johnnie Walker

I bought four bottles of Johnnie Walker from Amazon. It was right at the beginning of my whisky adventure. The Black one sat really nicely amongst them, looking good next to The Red one, being very proud of its stylish box and slightly bigger bottle, but also being a little stressed by The Double Black one standing next to it. The fourth one, The Green, was clearly out of their league, resting undisturbed at the end of the line. Well, for as long as I didn’t get The Gold one, but that's a different story.

The bottle of the Black Label is one of the most recognisable whiskies in the world, but I had to keep some tasting order. I did Red Label with Ballantine’s and decided to do Black Label with Chivas 12 (both slightly higher shelves than entry-level whiskies and similar age statement). I got my bottle for £20, a decent price (discounted), as the regular retail price is around £30. So?

What is Johnnie Walker Black Label?

Johnnie Walker Black Label is a loved, respected, and one of the world's most famous 12 years old blended Scotch. They say it’s a blend of around 40 whiskies. Sounds impressive, huh? Imagine all those whiskies, each of them being matured for such a long time, and after that being carefully mixed in the right proportions, bottled and put in this sexy-looking box... I had been looking at the bottle of Black Label for more than two months before I decided to crack it open. I poured the amber gold into my snifter glass, celebrating the moment, enjoying every second, and then, I inhaled.

How does Johnnie Walker Black Label taste?

First, my nose. Fruity and very light. Some oak and, unfortunately, a strong smell of grain whisky. It’s not always a bad thing, but this tone overpowers everything else here. You can get that thing when sniffing vodka - not a very pleasant experience. Vodka has its odour and taste to offer, this recognisable pungent, alcoholic sensation, and many praise vodka over everything else. Still, there’s more I would expect from whisky aged for 12 years.

Palate. For me, there is an oak, some hard-to-describe fruits and bitterness. That’s all I can say. Not very sophisticated or complex. Again, you can taste the grain, but it’s not too strong. It goes down quite well, with a fruity aftertaste and gives you a slight burning sensation.

Is it worth buying the Johnnie Walker Black Label?

If you want to know what whisky tastes like, go for it. There’s nothing wrong with Johnnie Walker Black Label. Buy it as a gift, it will do the job. Get it as a present, no shame here as well, and no harm done. Easy drinker for everyone starting his whisky adventure and a much better choice than cheap supermarket stuff, which can put you off whisky forever.

Black Label is an average product from a reputable brand, and I enjoyed it a little. Would I buy it again? Probably not. There are quite a few whiskies in that price range I would like to try. It’s not a high-quality liquor for sure, but you can just have it, simple as that, on your own or with a company, and there’s nothing wrong with it. The smell of fresh alcohol is a minus for me, but it’s only me. There’s more to drink here rather than to smell, and I just think about all of those 40 whiskies which have been blended into this, and I think I would love to try them all. I am afraid at least half of them would probably be of better quality than the final product itself.

Trivia

Quotation from www.johnniewalker.com

“Johnnie Walker Black Label is an unrivalled masterpiece – an exquisite combination of Scotland’s rarest and most exceptional whiskies.”

If that is true, where does Blue Label sit?

I am not going to comment on “one of the world's most masterful whiskies back in all its complex glory”.

Please, leave a comment and let me know what you think about Johnnie Walker Black Label.