Now we’re getting somewhere... This one is a blended malt, as opposed to JW Red & Black, which are just blended whiskies, so the grain component is absent from this malt, as is that offensive metallic note found on the noses of those two. Instead the nose is all maltiness with a smokey lemon note (maybe the Caol Ila?). On the palate, it still tastes like Johnnie, but fuller, rounder, more coating and complex. Quite a step up from JW Black. The proof lingers on the mid-palate (all 40% of it...), and the finish is considerably longer than its predecessors. Yeah! For those of you playing the home game, I’m reviewing my way through the Johnnie Walker core range as well as a few of its component malts. This one was solid, and was reminiscent of some non-sherried Highland or Speyside single malts. Is it worth $60 SRP? For me, no, because if I’m going to pay that much for a blend, it’s going to be something from Compass Box, but this malt is still a quality drop, and shows that House Walker doesn’t just produce bottom shelf swag. Cheers!