Johnnie Walker Green Label 15 Year

This is just SO good! Fruit, smoke, complexity..smoothness..VERY delicious!

Delicious Blend with a hint of smoke

It's fruity and sweet but it has the usual Johnnie Walker peat and smoke. In this case, the smoke dominates. This is less sweet than Talisker 10, but it is still sweet a d adds some complexity. There is plenty of smoke, but there are also caramel and apricot flavors. There is a lot going on, but given the mild flavors that jump out it is clear that this is largely a drink for advertising with. It smells like smoky Irish Whiskey and tastes similarly. This is a great drink that deserves some more attention. The nose is rich with some mild apricot fruitiness and a rich balance of peat and smoke. The palate is similarly fruity and smoky with an appealing balance between the two. Peat and apricot both come in, but the middle is rich enough to bear them both. This is finally the release to combine the rich and complexly sweet aspects of Johnnie Walker. This may not be Scotch at its absolute finest, but it's solidly complex and balanced as well as thoroughly drinkable at a pretty low price. It's in the same price range as Springbank 10 and tastes roughly as good, so this is nothing to scoff at. Springbank 10 is more forceful and lively, but the balance here is superior and the complexity is also great. In a brief comparison, this beats out Nikka Whisky From The Barrel with its balance and precisely executed flavors. Bushmill's 21 has a nice fruitiness that exceeds this, but it also has an off oiliness that is not so appealing. These two are in the same ballpark, but I'd lean toward the Green Label just a tad. The nose is rich with swirling scotch and some nice fruit coming through. The palate is balanced delightfully with a nice touch of spice mixing with sweet golden raisins and apricots. The balance really works with plenty of chocolate coming in from the smoke. The flavor is richer yet more elegant than in most Johnnie Walkers. It's very enjoyable. While it doesn't have the same depth of apricot richness as Bushmill's 21, it also doesn't have that initial hit of Irish whiskey bitterness. Bushmill's 21 certainly has more fullness to its flavor though. Still, this is terrific and is nearly on the same level as Bushmill's 21, if not quite there. It's also quite comparable in quality to Springbank 10, though I think it might fall a touch shy of Springbank's quality in terms of vibrancy. The nose has a bit of a rich, full smell with some seaweed and snoke, but the primary characteristic is honeyed, floral, fruity notes that are reminiscent of Irish whiskey. The palate has more smoke with some nice dark chocolate, but it also maintains the fruit blossom notes. There's plenty of vanilla and also some tangerine and apricot notes. The palate has some rich chocolate-maltiness to it too that has some smoke essence and peat bite, but remains balanced and under control. This has far more character and quality than most Johnnie Walker. The balance is quite good with a fair amount of subtlety, but the flavors don't completely jive. Still, it's quite tasty and very sippable. It reminds me a bit of Nikka From The Barrel. It's a bit less malty and leathery than Springbank 10, which I find disappointing. The fruit flavor also doesn't land as nicely. It reminds me of one of the Bushmill's younger than 21 mixed with Nikka From The Barrel. There's a fair amount going on here and I really appreciate that, but this not perfectly executed. It may lack the leather richness of Clynelish 14, but this has some nice varied flavors. Springbank 10 and Clynelish 14 might land a little bit better than this does, but it's certainly closer to them than it is to Talisker 10. This has a more traditional and subtle presence than Glenfiddich 14. It comes together nicely and richly with appropriate sweetness, but Glenfiddich has flavors with a bit more of a nice pop to them. It's a tough call between the two of them, but both beat out Compass Box Spice Tree a bit. I'd say that Johnnie Walker is a tad better, though for the price it's probabaly not worth the upgrade. This has more of a nose than Nikka From The Barrel does. There's some richness and maybe a tad of smoke, but it mostly smells sweet and sherried in a nice balanced way. The palate has a bit of bit to it as it comes in, but it's far from being terribly harsh. The Sherry sweetness pervades, but there's also some nice smoke and some richness that really works well. It's quite malty and tastes like a rich scotch. It has a good amount of subtlety and complexity, but I really wish it had a couple of punchy characters in there somewhere. It's thoroughly sippable though. I like it a tad more than Nikka From The Barrel and it costs a third less.

Malty and apple on the nose with a hint of brine. Light fruit and caramel build to an oak spike which dulls into a lingering toffee and gentle campfire smoke