Johnnie Walker Double Black

Easy going entry whisky with some hints of peat and smoke. Fairly smooth, no burn, no complexity, no offending taste. This is a good bottle for starting Scotch drinkers or people who want to start to discover peated whiskies. There is no complexity here, some heavy sweet grain influence and a whiff of peat, perfect to get you started. Experienced peaty drinkers please move along, this one is not for you.

Back when I could handle peat, the notes from the nose and palate of a brand new Johnnie Walker Double Black bottle were amazing to me. When I would take my first sip from a new bottle, it tasted like I was almost licking a grill. As time crept on and my bottle hung around, the strength of what I got on the nose and palate wore a bit thin. Based on my previous tastes alone, this would be worthy of at least a 3.5 rating, but since I have moved on from drinking scotch and have discovered many different whisk(e)ys since then, I have to downgrade my rating. Adding to the reasons for my downgraded rating: When I last drank this a couple of years ago, it was $37 at my local liquor store. Since that time, the price has vastly increased to $45.