Tastes

I'm wondering where's the vanilla? I taste the coffee, obviously, and the whiskey on the backend. But the official review said the most prominent note is vanilla. I liked this very much, especially seeing as I used it to wash down Hot Wings. I'm going to go out on a limb, and say it pairs well with hot and spicy foods, or if you're an Irish Coffee freak.

There's a special breed of pest lurking around both Social Media, and video sharing sites like YouTube. This nuisance views himself as knowing better than the bottlers what their Whisky is good for. So when J&B makes it clear they're a mixing Scotch, Mr. Know-it-all says whiskys should 'stand on their own,' and a Mixer should be able to be a Sipper. Then this 'genius' takes a $20 bottle of J&B, pours it into a Glencairn, and starts talking about how it's subpar as a sipping whisky. Then he touts another Whisky, almost always a Single Malt, as being a better deal. It's only a few dollars more, he says. Does he try the J&B mixed? GOD FORBID, NO. He says he's got some cheap Bourbon on hand, when he wants to mix. He's educating us! You see, you didn't know Bourbon was interchangeable with Scotch, did you? If you're an informed consumer, you don't need a hype man to tell you what to drink, or how to drink it. Take what the pests say with a fistful of salt! J&B is a very good Shooting/Mixing Scotch.

Riddle me this: who sips a NAS Blended Scotch nowadays? Of course it's better suited as a Highball! The youth of both the Grain Whisky and the Malt, the light taste and texture are part of a whisky that simply begs to be used as a summer mixer. And you could drop a shot in your tea come Wintertime.

I know this isn't going to sound like a typical review, but it smelled rank when I opened the bottle. It tasted sour. I tried it with a generous amount of ginger ale; didn't help. So, I'm supposed to try it with soda, see if I like it? In the cupboard it goes.

This is Bushmills reaching out to the American Whiskey drinker, who usually shoots, or mixes. The review is spot on: this does well as a Shooter, or with a beer 'back.' And like Johnnie Walker Red (is there a connection?) it's a great Mixer. I generally don't drink Whiskey straight, or on the rocks, so I guess I'm the target audience (lol.)

As a MIXER, which everyone supposedly knows that it is, it is nothing short of SUPERB. Whether it's with soda, cola, or a good quality British Ginger Ale this never disappoints. Walker Red IS The Highball whisky.