Johnnie Walker Black Label Islay Origin

N: Instant, but gentle, peat with just the slightest iodine. Sweetness from a light orange oil and some generic sherry influence. A vaguely toffee fullness to this nose is combined with a faintest tar. P: Ashy, really ashy, with peppery zing. This is both full but also slightly grainy (ashy again) in texture with some mild leather and perhaps something of a thin watery honey. Not as good as the nose promised but the simple profile here gets delivered well. F: Short-medium. Ash turns to a soft smoke and is delivered with some of the toffee from the nose. There is a slight, almost lemony sweetness as well. I’ve only had one Caol Ila before (and that was in 2016) but I seem to recall lemon there. Perhaps I’m imaging it, does Caol Ila deliver lemon? The final parting gift of this finish is some pleasant maltiness. This was an interesting blend. The nose and finish were delightful but the palate let the overall expression down. Not that the palate was bad, but it was a little boring. The flavours that were there were very much en point but I found my self wanting to stick with the nose and then rush to the finish. I don’t actually think I’ve ever had the regular JW Black but the Double Black is a good comparison point. I haven’t had JWDB in some time but from what I recall the honey and BBQ are better developed and hold interest on the palate a lot more than this Islay Origins Black Label. That said I am taken by the nose and finish here. Thats a 2:1 win for the Islay Origins. I am told by the great @cascode that generously shared this dram with me that this was available for AUD$70 with a crazy offer of AUD$58 at one point. I don’t even know where to find this in Australia, it seems the great one bought all of the Australian allocation. A great buy at AUD$70 and a freaking steal for less than $60 if you see it. (I have no rocks from Islay so instead this evenings pour is pictured here with a classic Scottish lithology; the 427 million year old Ballachullish Granite from Argyllshire in the Southwest Highlands. A fantastic piece of the Caledonian Orogeny) Distiller whisky taste #94

Very well balanced Islay blend! Love it!

Nose: Smoke, Peat, Dark Chocolate Palate: Peaty, Spicy, Creamy Vanilla Finish: Smoky, Spicy

Incredibly for me to say, it has been a long time since i last tasted a Johnnie Walker. I have seen this new travel retail expressions, which are basically blends from specific scottish regions. Of course if i had the chance i was going to pick the Islay one. Bottled at 40%abv. On the nose, your standard nice peaty aroma. Prunes, ashes and smokey profiles. Cotton socks (the ones with the gray colored area for the toes). A rancid vanilla like the one you smell on a cake that has been on the fridge, that is going to go bad the next day, but it is still edible, on its last day. Pepper and salt. On the palate, it is fairly good. Vanilla cake, pepper, salty. It is actually very light for a peaty whisky. Sawdust Aftertaste had a nice peatiness but way too short. Ashy and salty. Sawdust is delivered in a nice way.  Overall, i can understand that JW went super safe on this one, since Islay's profiles can be off putting for some people, and i can also understand this blend as an entry to peated drams. Not bad, not oustanding, very drinkable, my score for it is 80 over 100.