What will we find in the most widely recognised premium whisky? Stay tuned to find out.
The nose is fruity and floral, reminiscent of a well aged Speyside. There’s clearly a high proportion of malt here, but the nose is the teaser trailer for the plot twist yet to come.
On the palate, there’s malt, well aged grain whisky, and...peat smoke! First time I’ve detected it in a JW blend. It’s a perfect whip at the end. Sadly that’s all that endures on the medium length finish. The malt fades away and there’s some peat and heat.
So the verdict? Is it a quality drop? You bet. If somebody bought it for me or offered me a pour, you bet. Would I buy a bottle? No. No way. $200 for a bottle of this seems like runaway marketing. That much coin could buy a bottle or two of much higher quality malts.
Thus ends my tasting of the JW core range. There’s some nice pours in this range, but I come away thinking that even the good ones aren’t worth the price of admission. Not stacked up against comparably priced bottles. I’ll happily drink any of them (except the Red. Screw that noise) if offered, but a place in my collection? Not at this time.