Bottle purchased on ?/?/17, and killed on 12/16/18 Diageo Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 years old 40% ABV Bottled in 2017 Price: 36 USD It took well over a year to finish this bottle after opening it. Initially, the syrupy grain filler bothered me. Recently, I changed my mind and think the grain adds a nice sweet caramel chocolate note to the nose and palate. The finish is still short and bad. Which is better than long and bad, I suppose. This is a fairly complex and superbly balanced blend. It’s most notably sherry influenced with raisins, but also contains citrus, apples, a little brine, and a little soot. I am surprised by how much I ended up liking this mass-produced blend, given how unimpressive it was when I first opened the bottle. But I don’t believe my newfound respect for JW Black is because this blend became so much better with oxidation. It’s because so many recent single malts have been disappointing. I am so sick of NAS cask finishing trickery; give me an age-statement blend any day. Rubbish casks, given enough time, will at least smooth out the unpleasant notes of even cheap grain filler. When you finish too-young whisky in sherry-seasoned or fino-fucked casks; charred, scraped, and re-assembled to shit, you end up with a bad product. And when you use marketing gimmicks and jack up the price, you end up with a disgraceful product. It’s like trying to fix a friend with terrible body odor. Would you rather him take a good shower or just spray PX sherry all over himself? Anyway. Rant over. I’m coming full circle. JW Black and other blends were the first Scotches I’ve had. Then I became a single malt snob. The single malt ship is starting to sink, and now I’m starting to move back to blends. Rating (price not factored): 81 / 100 Purchase satisfaction (price factored): 4 / 5