It’s 2020. It’s December. Let’s shut this year down with a brand new whiskey (or whisky) every day. It’s my own personal whiskey advent calendar. +7! Dec. 26, 2020 So when @PBMichiganWolverine offered me a sample of “JW Blue Ghost and Rare Brora” I had no idea what any of those words meant. To me, “JW” is a prefix for “Dant” and “rare” typically means I’m going to be disappointed. I didn’t know until just now checking this in, that this was a Johnnie Walker product, effectively making this a blind taste test. I think that was optimal for me, because although I have never tried any Johnnie Walker whiskies, for some reason I thought Johnnie Walker stuff was garbage. “The Jim Beam of Scotland.” I have no idea where I got this prejudice, and perhaps my preconceptions are still accurate generally speaking. Yet I know now that I was wrong at least when it comes to this whisky: my first JW product. Big thanks to PBMW for the JW! Nose has grape musk, chalk dust, lemon, powdered sugar. Later I also found tangerine, strawberry, and chai tea, but those initial notes were more prevalent. Body has watermelon, lemonade, cherry, green apple. There’s milk, cream. All the things I like. The more concerning nose notes (musk, dust, chai) aren’t present here. This is simply juicy and delicious. It’s thicker than I’d expect given those notes, so I suppose a fruit smoothie is the overarching theme. Finish holds on to some tart fruit, both in feel and taste, but also fades away quickly with pure sugar. Small bite on the finish, which is always a plus. I’d say serrano pepper. When you admit that fact, you get a fresh veggie taste with it, like a bell pepper. Delicious. This is really really good. I’m having trouble finding fault with it, but something is holding me back from calling it perfect. Maybe that’s the JW effect. Still, even at the price point I’m seeing online, I’d pick up one of these if it showed up on a shelf. ‘Tis the season. I’m day-to-day on my whiskey selection, so if you’re reading this and there’s something readily available out there you’d like me to enjoy/suffer through this holiday season, leave it in the comments. Merry whiskey to all, and to all a beer flight!