Johnnie Walker Red Label

If your drinking <$25 scotch and are expecting a complex nose and incredibly deep flavor, then I dont know what to tell you. What I can tell you is this, Red Label may be one of the best bang for buck scotches I've ever had, and unlike some other cheap (and some not-so-cheap) scotches I've had, this actually has a pretty prominent flavor of peat (which I happen to like). Is this your classic 12 year old single malt? No, absolutely not, but can you get a better scotch at this price point? Damn near impossible

Way too Smokey for me!

Nose: fumey. Bitter orange, vanilla extract, mead, faint sherry tones, sulphur, vegetal, and peppery peat. Taste: pear, sour apple, honey, pepper, cinnamon, dry sherry, bitter almonds, raisins, with the pepper increasing in the finish accompanied with a kiss of peat. More flavorful than other blended scotches I’ve had in its class and price point, but its youth is still apparent and better suited to take on the rocks than neat. For a sipping whisky, the extra dollars to step up to the Black Label are worth it.

Nose - sweet peat smoke, brine, pear, honey, toffee, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - sweet peat smoke, brine, pear, honey, toffee, burnt bitter oak, moderate alcohol bite, finishing fairly quickly with lingering salty and bitter flavors. Honestly, I was expecting this to be much worse based on all the hate it gets. It’s definitely not a good scotch (the burnt bitterness in the taste is the biggest fault for me), but it’s not completely undrinkable either.

Light peat smoke on the nose. Very light smokey taste and oaky spice after taste.

Very on taste of peat and light fruit taste.