Tastes

Nose - (w/o water) Savory sweet, sweet candied ginger spice, light caramel, bananas, sweet nuts (w/o water) not much change, just a tiny bit more muted Taste - (w/o water) Ginger/chili spice/tingle, sweet savory meaty sweetness, sweet nuts, bananas, toasted barley, hints of chocolate, bit thin (w/ water) Less spice, more metallic, more bitter nut skins, weird savory sweet jerky Finish - (w/o water) Lingering white pepper tingle, sweet caramel, chocolate, banana walnut bread, light metallic notes (w/ water) Less tingle, more metallic finish, banana walnut chocolate bread Score - 73/100 Final Thoughts - This was an interesting one in that it had what I think is the meaty notes from the garry oak combined with the sweet youthful malt that Westland has. Having done the distillery tour, I've had a chance to try some of the toasted barley & it really comes through in the spirit here. This is unique for sure but the flavor combinations & metallic ending notes just aren't for me. Would I drink it if offered? - No Would I specifically order it? - No Would I buy a bottle? - No

Nose - Sharp bitter cereal grain sweet, faint vanilla & honey, bitter fruity apple cores Taste - Sharp astringent sweet, very splenda-like, apple core bitter, grape seed fruity bitter, faint generic "spice", saline Finish - Lingering astringent sweetness, odd fruity yet chemically bitterness, faint saline, splenda-like sweet lingers Score - 15/100 Final Thoughts - This is quite surprising as this low-end offering from Johnnie Walker is so much worse than their Black label. There is so much astringent/chemical notes in this along with this splenda-like sweetness that just lingers. Super thin, nothing really great on the nose other than it smelling very "clean" but in a bad way. It's almost like a cleaning product smell. I'm not sure I'd even want to use this as a mixer as I think the splenda sweet would come out as well as the chemical-like nature of it. Would I drink it if offered? - No Would I specifically order it? - No Would I buy a bottle? - No

Nose - Nice fruity & floral, tropical fruity sweet, nice spicy oak, hint of leather & chocolate, pineapples/ripe plantains Taste - Tropical vanilla, sweet dark oaky spice, tropical citrusy/light fleshed fruity sweet, waxy rich mouthfeel, light chocolate bitterness, light bitter burnt toffee. Finish - Lingering light bitter spice, full mouthfeel, dark chocolate covered ginger spice sweet, fresh light fleshed tropical fruits (pineapple, carombola aka starfruit, plantains, both ripe & unripe as there's this slight tannic/dry note) Score - 90/100 Final Thoughts - This one had an absolutely amazing nose in that it somehow managed to be both dark sugars and light fruit aromas at the same time. This transitioned to the taste as well and was quite a nice contrast, all the while having this nice rich mouthfeel that just coated your mouth. It was a bit dry on the backend and finish in that it was similar to eating a super starchy fried plantain. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - Not sure I'd pick up another

Nose - Rich floral fruits, dark caramelized apple cider, hints of chocolate, spicy wood, caramel, honey, light leather Taste - Sweet spice, chocolate & honey, dark apple juice, thick dark honey, apple cinnamon tea, hint of smoke, leather Finish - Lingering dark honey sweet, light floral fruity apple cider, light brine Score - 87/100 Final Thoughts - So it's been quite the experience trying the Black, Gold, Platinum, & now the Blue in progression. You can definitely tell that the average age of the whisky in each blend gets older and older. The flavors become more dark & deep. The Blue definitely has a lot more going on for it than the others and is actually quite nice to sip on. I think the only downfall of it is that it's priced as a super premium offering when what it's bringing to the table is only premium. I'd say I wouldn't mind buying & keeping a bottle of this around if it was around the $120ish mark, but the current prices it's demanding of $200+ in WA State to $150ish elsewhere is a bit too high for what it offers. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - If I could find one for about $120ish

Nose - Dark vanilla, barrel aged apple/pear cider, light hint of leather, dark caramel, honey. Taste - Fairly thin but has a nice "richer" mouthfeel, nice light white pepper tingle, dark caramel, dark apple/pear cider, light brine Finish - Lingering dark apple/pear cider sweetness, dark caramel, very light brine Score - 83/100 Final Thoughts - This is quite a step up from the Black & the Gold in that the nose just is so much more balanced. It smells older in that it has this intangible richness that only comes with time in an oak barrel. The sweetness was darker & more rich although still quite one-dimensional. This is something I could actually see myself sipping on very easily. Not complex, not off-putting or off flavors. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - Maybe

Nose - Nice fruity nose, toasted sugars, caramel, barrel aged apple/pear cider, light spice. Taste - Light white pepper spice, faint wisp of smoke & brine, watered down honey & aged apple cider/calvados. Finish - Light lingering white pepper spice, light saline, "clean" sweetness of watered down vanilla/honey, light/soft/mellow wood tannic. Score - 75/100 Final Thoughts - So this is a bit of a step up from the Black in that it loses that weird splenda-like sweet I got. It definitely tastes like it has some older whisky in it as it has that mouthfeel that only years in oak can have. Still very one-dimensional and "smooth" of the light caramel & apple/pear flavors. The target market is definitely for those who just want something simple to sip on and not have to think to hard. Would make a decent highball I think. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - No Would I buy a bottle? - No

Nose - Clean vanilla, light fruit, light brine, watery honey Taste - Sweet, light bitter apple juice, light white pepper heat, light grape juice sour, thin, tiniest hint of clean smoke Finish - Lingering sweet, almost splenda-like, hint of brine, light white pepper spice Score - 71/100 Final Thoughts - Nothing too complex about this one, quite thin. There's a nice brine & very very light smoke component which is kind of nice. It has a nice quality where there's this nice clean grain whisky mouthfeel, but a hint of maltiness about it. The sweetness is very generic and sadly transitions at the finish to an almost splenda-like sweet. This isn't something I'd reach for, but I can see this being a decent base in a Scotch cocktail or even a flavored highball. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - No Would I buy a bottle? - Maybe?

Nose - Syrupy raisins/prunes/dates, light sweet almonds, dark toffee, mulled red wine, hints of chocolate covered cherries. Taste - Sweet ginger/white pepper spice, syrupy dark but refreshing dark dried stone fruits, dark toffee, lightly tannic, fresh bing cherries. Finish - Long lasting dark fruity sweet, dark toffee, ginger spice, chocolate sweet, fresh bing cherries. Score - 95/100 Final Thoughts - This is quite spectacular and what I imagine a well done sherried dram should be. Very nicely balanced, no off-putting notes. Nice fruity spice but shows its age very well. Amazing sherry influence but not overly sweet (this wouldn't be an everyday dram for sure) but is more on the desserty side of things. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Yes Would I buy a bottle? - Yes

Nose - Sweet, lightly fruity oak, barrel aged sweet white wine is very evident, hints of elderflower/lychee, fruity caramel. Taste - Sweet fruit/floral, light bittersweet apple cores/stems, dark lychee syrup, white pepper tingle, light musty sweet grapes. Finish - Lingering sweet, light musty oak, white pepper tingle, light sweet fruity sour Score - 89/100 Final Thoughts - This is quite the interesting dram. On the nose & throughout the palate, there's this light dark fruity funk that you only get with older Scotch that's always present. The sweet musty white wine funk you get is very evident and I think that they had to water it down to 43% otherwise I think it might have been a bit overpowering. That being said, for 43% it is very full flavored and not overly sweet. Not super complex but very tasty. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - Probably not another

Nose - (w/o water) Bit hot, sharp sweet apple juice, honey (w/ water) less heat, but otherwise the same Taste - (w/o water) Bit thin, drying mouthfeel, white pepper heat, dark fruity honey (w/ water) Less drying, more balanced dark honey, more apple notes Finish - (w/o water) Mouth drying, dark honey, white pepper heat (w/ water) Less drying, light heat, fruity honey Score - 75/100 Final Thoughts - As I expected, it's a slightly better version of their standard peated 12 year offering. This is more down my alley as it's unpeated, but it's still very much one-dimensional although the extra 6 years is apparent in that it has a lot better mouthfeel. It feels like the sweetness is more refined, a bit darker honey, but still very one-dimensional. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - No Would I buy a bottle? - No