JW Black, aka peated Johnnie, will be my very first taste of a peated Scotch whisky, albeit lightly peated so as to not scare me off forever of the style. This Scotch is a 40% ABV blend of course of around 40 grain and single malts all aged a minimum of 12 years. So the question is will this peated dram lead to a repeat or scare me off for good? Let’s find out! Enjoyed neat in a Glencairn, no added water. On the nose, the first thing that jumps out is the light peated smell of burnt rubber, a bit of bandaid, mixed with a light smoldering/smoky ash. As a side note, to be honest, I’ve held this bottle for a while now and have put off this tasting thinking the whole peat idea just wasn’t going to cut it after my first attempts. Which is precisely why I’m starting small here into lightly peated whisky. Anyhow, given time, I’ve grown accustomed to the idea (or smell/taste if you will) and it is now very interesting to pursue. Back to the nose, after a few whiffs the initial peat scents almost disappear entirely and are overtaken by the whisky’s other notes. I’m getting lots of sweet honey, some light florals, some vanilla, pepper, citrus and maybe golden raisin with just a bit of smokiness resting in there. Not bad, not bad! I like it! On to the palate, I immediately get the light peat again off the bat in a light wet ashy, iodine, or burnt rubber taste. Not strong peaty taste notes but they're in there. The light peat quickly fades into smoky wood ash, sort of like the remains of burnt wood from a campfire far far away, but nothing outrageous or offensive. After the smoke quality quickly fades, a sweet core appears in mix of vanilla, malt, honey, citrus and fruitiness with no one flavor taking center stage over another, and finishes in a bit of an oaky and peppery hit. Again, not bad but nothing overly complex or terribly exciting. I would like to taste this dialed up to 45% or so at minimum, and I’ll bet it would be a much more interesting sip! Nonetheless I enjoy the taste profile at its price point. The finish is short to medium with some honey, malt. and the light wet smoke that lingers on but gently fades over time. Overall, despite my initial leariness, I can honestly say this whisky is not bad at all. Nothing really amazing going on, but it’s certainly not offensive or off putting. As I've nearly finished the bottle now, I can say I really like JWB as a VFM pick. It's lightly smoky, sweet, and easy drinking that makes for a great daily option when you want to save the expensive stuff. I think for my experience level into Scotch, and peated varieties in particular, this is an interesting and perfectly acceptable entry and I’ll admit it does leave me wondering what lies ahead in my journey into Scotch, including other stronger peated varieties I hope. My curiousity is certainly piqued and it leaves me pondering what the likes of Ardbeg and Laphroaig to name a couple, will offer, but I don’t want to get to ahead of myself there. As for the peat, I think I can say there will be a repeat in my near future! Cheers!