Tastes

It smells a fresher, fruitier, and a bit maltier than Black Label. It actually smells a bit appealing. The palate is fairly sweet with some honey and oily notes that are reminiscent of Sauternes, along with some light grassy and strong vanilla notes. It's too light, but it gets away a bit from the regular Johnnie Walker bitterness. There's a little bit of toffee that provides a nice base to ground the flavor. There's just a hint of orange and ginger hiding in the background. There's some usual scotch saltiness as well as smoke and a little more peat. It's moderately interesting and palatable enough, but it's far from great. It's kind of like a more complex but not terrifically executed Glenmorangie The Original, perhaps like it was blended with Glenlivet 12. The flavor is lighter than it ought to be. Still, it's a big improvement on the Black Label (though it pales in comparison to Springbank 10). The nose is grassy and a bit smoky with a dash of grainy sweetness. The palate is light and grassy in a way that reminds me a bit of Herradura. Its sweetness is nice and has a bit of a golden raisin nectar element to it, but it doesn't develop a great deal of complexity or a very mature flavor. The sweetness is nice with some good vanilla and fruity notes of pear and apricot included just a dash, but the total experience is too light and a bit bland. Still, it isn't actually a bad drink. I'd sip this one and be happy enough.

The nose has some nice rich honey, sweet fruit like golden raisins, floral vanilla, and a bit of mineral. It smells sweet and a little viscous, but not unreasonably so. The palate is quite nice with a sweet honeyed note hitting quickly with nice apricot flavor and plenty of vanilla in it. It reminds me of Bushmill's 21 in that regard. There's the usual scotch peat and smoke there a little bit but not too much. The sweetness is really tasty and we'll worth sipping. This might not be the bmost complex drink ever, but it is a solid sipper to be sure. Springbank 10 still wins out with its complexity, but this is a solid step up from the Gold Label - perhaps it's right between the two. The sweet and slightly complex fruitiness is well-balanced and worth savoring. It lacks the rich apricot flavor of Bushmill's 21 that gradually develops into something really special, but it does have its own sweet and fruity character with a bit more chocolate and peat. This is a 17-18. Its main drawback is that the pear kind of stands alone in the corner and doesn't balance the fruit well. Also, I would appreciate more richness. The nose has some usual scotchy notes, but also some nice fruity sweetness like golden raisin. It's a richer, creamier scent compared with the Gold Label. The palate is light with lots of nectar sweetness offset by a backing of slightly too sharp smoke. It's grainy and tasty. Though it isn't the most complex and composed whiskey ever, the flavors pretty much land and the sweet nectar is delightful. It certainly lacks the intense richness of Bushmill's 21, but it also lacks the bitter oiliness. The Bushmill's 21 is better, but obviously also much more expensive. Compared with the Gold Label, this has more oily character and also more scotch richness and bitterness. The nectar is also nicer too though with some sweet honeyed peat with plenty of golden raisin and vanilla.

The nose has a little bit of apricot mixed with a bit of mineral, smoke, and spice. There's also some pear and cereal like it exists on a wind-swept cliff by the coast. The palate is surprisingly mild and oily (without having an off, bitter flavor). It's disappointingly mild, but there are swirling complex notes of fruit and some other stuff that I'm having trouble placing. It tastes good enough, but it could use some more force. The complexity seems a bit better than that of Springbank 10, but the flavor is more subdued. It tastes more complex than Johnnie Walker 18 as well, but also less vibrant. Perhaps it's more balanced though? It lacks the off, oily tartness of Bushmill's 21, but also the rich fruitiness. The nose is balanced without being overly pungeant, with some nice malty character, some smoke, a bit of Earth, and a touch of citrus. It smells good, but not amazing. The palate has some malty butterscotch, vanilla, and citrus sweetness immediately, but it is backed by smoke with some tobacco bitterness and a grainy backing that's a tad chalky. The flavor is richer and more balanced than the Gold Label, but it isn't the massive improvement that it ought to be. It definitely has that scotch character, but the bitterness really pokes out and the complexity is not as substantial as it should be. It doesn't have the same drying character as Springbank 10, but its core flavor is also not as good. It's really disappointingly mild like a somewhat richer version of the Black Label that loses a lot of the bad flavors and tones back the peat a little bit, but also loses some of the sweetness. It doesn't have the nectar sweetness of the 18, though it also doesn't suffer from the 18's sharp notes. I'd love to say that it tastes better than the 18, but it isn't terribly exciting and its core flavor is a bit off. It reminds me of a Japanese whiskey in how it lacks character. It also has a lot of Irish whiskey floral character to it (though without that characteristic bitterness). It is also less complex and tasty than the Green Label. It's flavor is more finely executed in its floral sweetness than that of the Double Black is, but it's ultimately just way too understated. It's less rich than Nikka Whisky From The Barrel and also less interesting due to its decreased vibrancy (though it may not be less complex). The Nikka is better and this is kind of just a really disappointing drink for the price point.

It smells smokier and peatier than other Johnnie Walker releases. The nose also holds grassy and mild apricot and vanilla elements, but nothing really jumps out in an interesting or compelling way like in, say, the Green Label. It actually has a little bit of a fresh scent like a hotel room - kind of floral. The palate is a little harsh with peaty and smoky elements making up a big chunk, but it also has some nice sweet notes like dates and some nice to richness that has a bit of umami to it. This is a big step up from the weak and off-putting Black Label with a more rounded character and some rich apricot flavor coming through. It tastes like an Islay Scotch that is here to make an impression and would function fine as a daily sipper with a clear vanilla flavor and some nectar sweetness. It has roughly the complexity of the Gold Label, but with more rich smoke and peat that balance well. In short, it's a bit better. It doesn't have the nectar sweetness of Johnnie Walker 18 though and it lacks the delectibility in its fruity flavors (though they are similar). Still, it's quite a nice drink. It could do with some more character and complexity, but sitting between Johnnie Walker Gold and Johnnie Walker 18, it's doing quite well for its price, especially since it's closer to the 18. The nose is smoky, peaty, and salty with a prominent floral sweetness and too much grassiness. The grass and sweetness don't mix well, but the sweetness itself is not an inherent problem. Compared with Gold Label, this has a nicer vibrancy, but it also is a bit more slip-shod in its balance. It's sweeter with some nectar flavor, but the smoke and peat make it taste less sweet (though still quite sweet) when consumed on its own. Its flavors are more varies than those of the Green Label, but they are less rich and do not balance as well. There's grass mixed with golden raisins and a bit of smoke and peat. It's not bad, but it could really benefit for some better balancing. I do appreciate the vanilla in concept, but it kind of makes the thing too sweet and floral. It's sippable enough, but it isn't great. It falls a bit shy of Gold Label due to its sloppy balance. It avoids the blandness of the Black Label and flavor-wise it's a big improvement in vibrancy.

It's fruity and sweet but it has the usual Johnnie Walker peat and smoke. In this case, the smoke dominates. This is less sweet than Talisker 10, but it is still sweet a d adds some complexity. There is plenty of smoke, but there are also caramel and apricot flavors. There is a lot going on, but given the mild flavors that jump out it is clear that this is largely a drink for advertising with. It smells like smoky Irish Whiskey and tastes similarly. This is a great drink that deserves some more attention. The nose is rich with some mild apricot fruitiness and a rich balance of peat and smoke. The palate is similarly fruity and smoky with an appealing balance between the two. Peat and apricot both come in, but the middle is rich enough to bear them both. This is finally the release to combine the rich and complexly sweet aspects of Johnnie Walker. This may not be Scotch at its absolute finest, but it's solidly complex and balanced as well as thoroughly drinkable at a pretty low price. It's in the same price range as Springbank 10 and tastes roughly as good, so this is nothing to scoff at. Springbank 10 is more forceful and lively, but the balance here is superior and the complexity is also great. In a brief comparison, this beats out Nikka Whisky From The Barrel with its balance and precisely executed flavors. Bushmill's 21 has a nice fruitiness that exceeds this, but it also has an off oiliness that is not so appealing. These two are in the same ballpark, but I'd lean toward the Green Label just a tad. The nose is rich with swirling scotch and some nice fruit coming through. The palate is balanced delightfully with a nice touch of spice mixing with sweet golden raisins and apricots. The balance really works with plenty of chocolate coming in from the smoke. The flavor is richer yet more elegant than in most Johnnie Walkers. It's very enjoyable. While it doesn't have the same depth of apricot richness as Bushmill's 21, it also doesn't have that initial hit of Irish whiskey bitterness. Bushmill's 21 certainly has more fullness to its flavor though. Still, this is terrific and is nearly on the same level as Bushmill's 21, if not quite there. It's also quite comparable in quality to Springbank 10, though I think it might fall a touch shy of Springbank's quality in terms of vibrancy. The nose has a bit of a rich, full smell with some seaweed and snoke, but the primary characteristic is honeyed, floral, fruity notes that are reminiscent of Irish whiskey. The palate has more smoke with some nice dark chocolate, but it also maintains the fruit blossom notes. There's plenty of vanilla and also some tangerine and apricot notes. The palate has some rich chocolate-maltiness to it too that has some smoke essence and peat bite, but remains balanced and under control. This has far more character and quality than most Johnnie Walker. The balance is quite good with a fair amount of subtlety, but the flavors don't completely jive. Still, it's quite tasty and very sippable. It reminds me a bit of Nikka From The Barrel. It's a bit less malty and leathery than Springbank 10, which I find disappointing. The fruit flavor also doesn't land as nicely. It reminds me of one of the Bushmill's younger than 21 mixed with Nikka From The Barrel. There's a fair amount going on here and I really appreciate that, but this not perfectly executed. It may lack the leather richness of Clynelish 14, but this has some nice varied flavors. Springbank 10 and Clynelish 14 might land a little bit better than this does, but it's certainly closer to them than it is to Talisker 10. This has a more traditional and subtle presence than Glenfiddich 14. It comes together nicely and richly with appropriate sweetness, but Glenfiddich has flavors with a bit more of a nice pop to them. It's a tough call between the two of them, but both beat out Compass Box Spice Tree a bit. I'd say that Johnnie Walker is a tad better, though for the price it's probabaly not worth the upgrade. This has more of a nose than Nikka From The Barrel does. There's some richness and maybe a tad of smoke, but it mostly smells sweet and sherried in a nice balanced way. The palate has a bit of bit to it as it comes in, but it's far from being terribly harsh. The Sherry sweetness pervades, but there's also some nice smoke and some richness that really works well. It's quite malty and tastes like a rich scotch. It has a good amount of subtlety and complexity, but I really wish it had a couple of punchy characters in there somewhere. It's thoroughly sippable though. I like it a tad more than Nikka From The Barrel and it costs a third less.

The nose is super mild with no really distinct notes. There are times of peat, grass, and salt, but that's about it. It's disappointing how much it smells like nothing. The palate is mild with an unpleasant undertones of something just plain gross like Clan MacGregor and a bitter alcohol presence. There's something a bit sweet and floral with vanilla and something a bit tart that might be fruity up front and there are grassy, salty, and mildly malty flavors throughout, but the dominant flavors are bad and no substantial complexity emerges. It's certainly nowhere near the level of Springbank 10. It's way too bitter in an industrial way. This tastes like scotch made for industrial application. It smells like a whole lot of industrial nothing and it tastes just the same. It's positively repulsive with bitterness and generic sweetness being the dominant flavors, almost like they are just mixed with a drop of scotch extract. It's sweet and slightly organically bitter in his the wrong way. Clan MacGregor has its problems, but this is a clear step (or several) below that.

The nose is fuller than that of the Red Label and there's a hint of apple sweetness. The palate is a big improvement over the Red Label with a lasting light fruity sweetness that stays just a bit above the mostly monotone bitter backing. There's plenty of vanilla in here and also a balance of smoke and peat with a bit of a spicy twinge and an oily lingering presence. This is not a great whiskey, but it is drinkable for sure. The mild red fruit (like strawberry and a little apple) is fitting rather than jarring. The balance is passable, though not good. It would be better with less oil and more rich character. There's eventually a bit of an herbal presence that is a little interesting, but it mostly just adds to the undesirable bitterness. It's far from the complexity of Springbank 10 and has substantially more grassiness and lighter flavor, but it's also a big improvement over the Red Label. A little bit later, the palate has cereal, peat, and some light sweetness - no red fruit, more like golden raisin and a bit of floral citrus. This is vaguely palatable. It's sweet and floral with some smoke that is completely eclipsed by the Double Black and Green Labels. It's quite sweet in an undeveloped way. No, it's not the worst thing out there by any means, but it lacks complexity and richness. It's super bland compared with Springbank 10 and it just kind of tastes like sweet and mildly rancid water. Good Lord it's an improvement on the actively bad Red Label though.