I started my scotch journey backwards. Most people start with blended scotch like JW and Dewars. If the like it well enough, they move on to single malts. I started with single malts and am just now exploring blended scotch. After trying this JW Black, I’m starting to see why blends have held such a strong market share for so long. JW Black is a 12 yr. old blended scotch bottled at the standard 40% ABV. It’s a nice medium amber color in the glass. It has a decent oily coating that leaves only sparse legs. Less water droplets than I remember with Dewars. The nose has vanilla, light smoke, and orchard fruits: pears and apples. Light grassy/floral notes with dry oak. Really not bad, pretty nice. The palate is less impressive with dry oak, vanilla, and floral peat. It has a light mouthfeel. Very drinkable. The finish is decent with lingering ashy campfire smoke. This is a very drinkable whisky. I can see why it appeals to so many people: decent flavors, but nothing too strong or overpowering or objectionable. Dewars was kind of the same minus the smoke: very easy (almost too easy) to drink. I saw somewhere that JW Black was best with a cube of ice. I tried it with ice and it completely ruined it; the water and the chill killed all the flavor. This whisky is not strong enough for ice or water but works great neat. Add to that the price of $50/liter here in Ohio and you’ve got a pretty decent value. 4.0/5.0. Cheers!