Johnnie Walker Swing

I don’t usually drink blends. As the word itself describes, blends are blend. Everything is mild. There’s no character of its own and no distinguished flavor. On the other hand, it’s very easy to drink, very smooth and gives you a hint of different characters of different thpes of malt. On the nose it’s very sweet with honey, hints of vanilla, mild zest and very malty. It’s above average if you want to know what a malt smells. The palate is even more mild with only 40% ABV. It doesn’t give a full mouth and the flavors will die off quickly. It will have the lemon zest, honey, vanilla and cereal with a bit of smokiness that is particular to Islay, but it’s not so peaty. So, the smokiness is there for the experience, but not distinctive. It’s a good first scotch for those who are not familiar with it. But if you have a trained palate, it won’t be that good.

Smooth, smoke, bananas, wood, good one!

Smooth with mild peat and sweet caramel.

This is an enjoyable blend. Semisweet with honey, malt, vanilla, grains, and hints of nutty sherry, spices and peat smoke. I like this better than the Black Label, although both are similar. The Swing is more “smooth” and sweeter and the Black has a bit of a bite.