Johnnie Walker Double Black

Don't really remember this scotch as it was a while ago and I just realized it was never put on here. I enjoyed regular black better than double black

Not as smoky as I thought it would be

Not a JW fan, but this is better than the black for sure.

N: Red fruit (cherry) early and then the smoke hits. It's that Johnnie Walker peat smoke smell that, to me anyway, is not exactly the same as anybody else's. There's a sort of casual elegance to it that also often feels like a tossed off afterthought. It's like trying exceptionally hard to look like you're not trying at all. And pulling it off! It's in the Black Label too. More so here, I suppose, but it's not overwhelming as one might expect from the box and bottle marketing. Moving on, after the smoke there's a definite salty ocean smell that I generally think of as "maritime." Some other fruits dance in, all drenched in that maritime element, like a peach or pear or apple you just rinsed off in a tide pool. Especially the apple - it's green and a bit sour. Deeper in you find tiny bits of wood and leather, which are suddenly and unfortunately lost in ethanol. The booziness snuck up on me and numbed me, evidence that it is not overpowering. It was a nice ride while lasted. P: Feels quite a bit simpler on the tongue. Traditional in leading with caramel and vanilla. These turn toward a powdery milk chocolate after a beat and you find yourself wanting to go back to the nose for more smoke - there's none on the palate that I can sense. There is a nice woodsy, spicy burn in the finish, which maybe has a hint of char in it, but no peat smoke. Spice is a little more than cinnamon, a little less than capsaicin. It hangs for a bit, but is no champion. The dram has a nice, thick, oily and coating feeling on the tongue. The promise of the nose does not deliver on the palate here. The nose seems to keep going deeper, far more than I expected. Every time I took a deep breath of it and thought 'what's new,' there was something new (until I went numb, whatevs). But every time you go back for a sip, it's just more caramel and vanilla. It's a finely done and executed caramel and vanilla, but it's also a disappointment in contrast to the nose. The nose is very nice and offers great value, but the palate is rather pedestrian and forgettable. Unlikely I do this one again.

I finally was in the mood for a peated blend that wasnt cheap or expensive, so this checks all those boxes. Nose is mostly smoke from char, sweet malt, minerality. Hint of peat salinity but it's truly just a tiny hint. Palate was excellent. You can tell they strayed a touch from the standard black blend with a a small dash of earthiness and pepper. The smoke itself is worth describing: not quite sweet, but distinctly not woody either. It dominates the profile but isnt unwelcome. The peated whisky in this isnt heavy or light; and theres just enough of it to set off the smoke notes without becoming too background. Biggest problem here is it seems to disappear quickly on the tongue, leading to follow up sip after follow up sip. CREAMY, MALTY, RICH. Mouth was perhaps a notch or two above regular black or green--the hearty malt in the body makes the whole show silky and refined. It may be one dimensional, but it is nice. I tried it with an ice sphere just now after writing and found it better neat. It just came out much sweeter and the smoke tasted out of place. Enjoy neat, remember this ISNT a peat bomb (it's a notch above green, that's it), and maybe take some shots as it isnt exactly investment booze---defintiely dont pay more than $45USD for this and expect top shelf. Merry Christmas, everybody!