Davie-Warner
Johnnie Walker Black Label
Blended — Scotland
Reviewed
July 3, 2016 (edited August 5, 2017)
Long overdue for review! Nose starts with malty vanilla, citrus and a light sweet draft of charcoal smoke. Palate is zesty, alcohol forward with toffee and dark honey. Finishes bittersweet with a touch of menthol. Mostly inoffensive, fairly unadventurous, and sadly overpriced. I would never say no to a dram, but I would never buy a whole fifth for myself. If you enjoy Black Label, find a fifth of Green Label, a 15 year old blended malt (no grain) that's almost twice the price but easily ten times the quality. Dry glass: a hint of earthy peat.
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The source of the "dry glass" note is from the man who taught me how to drink single malt, a family friend from Rhodesia who brought a bottle of Ardbeg 10 on our trip to the Drakensberg in South Africa. He had me keep the empty glass on my nightstand and notice the change overnight; from car exhaust to orange blossoms! I rarely do that anymore...
I love the dry glass comment. It's like seeing where you've been in the rear view mirror. Sometimes it's with wistful nostalgia (in that case pour another one). Sometimes it's good to be moving on.
Still always partial to JW. As Davie stated, inoffensive, but I do enjoy this every now and then. Brings me back to my roots.
The Green Label is really amazing. They're coming our with another version go Green that has more Islay to it