Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost and Rare Brora

sweet. caramel. slight spice. smooth. Long lasting taste.

Great complexity as well as very smooth

Very smooth. Waited over a year to share this with my father and brother, well worth the wait.

I've never had a particular interest in Johnnie Walker, and have never felt inspired to explore beyond some less than compelling entry-level JW bottles, specifically, the Red, Black, and White Walker offerings.  But I was excited to receive a sample of the Ghost and Rare Brora, courtesy of @pbmichiganwolverine.  Not only is this well-aged (the primary component is whisky from the Brora distillery, which closed in 1983), but there's something almost mythical to drinking whisky that's a relic from a bygone age, sourced from a distillery that was boarded up years ago.  Diageo is apparently re-opening Brora later this year, which will dampen the Brora mystique in my mind.  But perhaps we'll get some great new whisky. The whisky itself was not a letdown.   I found the nose to be very complex - sweet, fruity, and nutty, with multiple notes of each.  The palate was complex as well.  I will often say that a good blended whisky is well integrated.  In this case, I found the palate to be layered.  The top layer was spice, some wood and some heat.  The bottom layer was creamy grain and sweetness.  I've sometimes found drams that have this type of split presentation to be a bit off-putting, but in this case it works wonderfully. I often consume samples in two sittings - half one day and half the next, and it's not uncommon that I find something new or different on the second day.  In this case, the nose and palate remained the same through both tastings, but the finish had a notable shift.  On the first tasting, the notes on the palate quickly disappeared, transitioning to dry, woody and slightly bitter flavors.  Not enough to ruin the experience, but not totally agreeable.  On the second night, the top spicy layer made the same quick exit, but the sweet layer remained as the drier, more bitter notes emerged.  It was enough to balance the finish quite nicely. All in all, quite excellent!  Johnnie Walker will always be a producer of outrageous amounts of mass-market whiskies that I'll continue to pass over, but it's nice to see what the brand and Master Blender Jim Beverage are capable of.  Thanks @pbmichiganwolverine for a great dram and a cool ghost distillery experience!

It’s been a good deal of time since I actually sat and tasted. Holidays, sickness (head cold), and social obligations all out things on hold for a while. So, this is a perfect pour to start the New Year from a tasting perspective. Truly a rare treat that I will not delay to taste. It only begins to come alive after at least ten minutes. Prior to, it flat and unexpressive. As it awakens, tropical aromas of pineapples and toasted coconut. Orchard fruits develop into the mix; over-ripened, pealed apples and pears with dashes of vanilla, caramel, confectionery sugar and cinnamon. A bit of honey and lemoned tea forges through after significant time. These aromas slowly build and crescendo and the collective creates a full symphony of notes. Sweet arrival, but not overly so, in a soft, velvety textured, medium weighted body. Oak spices, tropical sweetness with hazelnuts and chocolate (think Nutella). Sweet tea, honey, lemon, The palate is left with with the sweet tea with touch of wood spice and some oak tannins, bittersweet chocolate and ginger. Which lasts a medium length of time. As I kept joyfully working through all parts of this pour, balance kept spring to minds. The volume of aromas, balanced. The flavors on the palate, though not as vast as the nose (or I just could not acutely define them and missed out), was balanced. The finish is where I selfishly wanted more and is where the weakness of the dram lies. A bit of water improves the dram and is recommended. Quite enjoyable, easy to take in. This whisky has a gravity about it that can slow time. A million thanks to @PBMichiganWolverine for graciously sharing. [92/100][Tasted: 1/25/20]

This what the regular JW Blue wishes itself to be. Add a few drops of water, let it rest and open up, and you’ll be treated to a cornucopia of aromas. You get wool and herbs. First taste is mineral taste, a bit farm-y, hazelnuts. There’s a surprising waxy side as well. That and the farmy taste must be the Brora. This is an excellent blend, and complexity head and shoulders over the Blue. At the level of Compass Box’s high end stuff. It’s not exactly cheap, and I have an issue with Brora being used in a blend...but personal feelings aside, it’s well engineered showcasing a plethora of aromas and layers of taste.