Johnnie Walker 18 Year

Fruity. Does not taste like a Scotch

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.

You know that star athlete that was always over shadowed by another player but you swear he is better? Well that’s how I feel about the 18 compared to the Blue Label. This is more complex than the Blue. If you switched the price tag on the two I would not complain at all.