I've never had a particular interest in Johnnie Walker, and have never felt inspired to explore beyond some less than compelling entry-level JW bottles, specifically, the Red, Black, and White Walker offerings.  But I was excited to receive a sample of the Ghost and Rare Brora, courtesy of @pbmichiganwolverine.  Not only is this well-aged (the primary component is whisky from the Brora distillery, which closed in 1983), but there's something almost mythical to drinking whisky that's a relic from a bygone age, sourced from a distillery that was boarded up years ago.  Diageo is apparently re-opening Brora later this year, which will dampen the Brora mystique in my mind.  But perhaps we'll get some great new whisky. The whisky itself was not a letdown.   I found the nose to be very complex - sweet, fruity, and nutty, with multiple notes of each.  The palate was complex as well.  I will often say that a good blended whisky is well integrated.  In this case, I found the palate to be layered.  The top layer was spice, some wood and some heat.  The bottom layer was creamy grain and sweetness.  I've sometimes found drams that have this type of split presentation to be a bit off-putting, but in this case it works wonderfully. I often consume samples in two sittings - half one day and half the next, and it's not uncommon that I find something new or different on the second day.  In this case, the nose and palate remained the same through both tastings, but the finish had a notable shift.  On the first tasting, the notes on the palate quickly disappeared, transitioning to dry, woody and slightly bitter flavors.  Not enough to ruin the experience, but not totally agreeable.  On the second night, the top spicy layer made the same quick exit, but the sweet layer remained as the drier, more bitter notes emerged.  It was enough to balance the finish quite nicely. All in all, quite excellent!  Johnnie Walker will always be a producer of outrageous amounts of mass-market whiskies that I'll continue to pass over, but it's nice to see what the brand and Master Blender Jim Beverage are capable of.  Thanks @pbmichiganwolverine for a great dram and a cool ghost distillery experience!