Johnnie Walker Green Label

Johnnie Walker Green Label

A review by Tommy Byrne

Overall rating: 9/10 (Blended Malt notation) 

Having brought up the subject of blends in my last post, I’m going to stay in near waters by reviewing the now discontinued Johnnie Walker Green Label.  It is a blended whisky, but not in the traditional sense where grain whiskies are added to malt whiskies.  Green Label is what used to be called a “vatted malt” or a “pure malt”, i.e. a whisky made only out of malt whiskies, no grain, no junk. Nowadays, the whisky  inteligencia is calling this “blended malt” or “Malt Blend”.  This whisky, which appeared only in 2004, is no longer produced by JW since the end of 2011 due to poor sales and the launch of a new range of products.  Sadly, it was the best JW product in the market and every whisky enthusiasts will say to it was far superior to the Gold and Blue Label.

Where the Gold Label is a whisky mainly crafted with some 15 to 18 years old Clyneslish, the Green Label is the result of blend of at least 15 years old whiskies from only four distilleries: Talisker, Caol Ila, Cragganmore and Linkwood.  Knowing this, the tasting is even more fun, one trying to identify each of the characteristics of those 4 malts.  Talisker is the most noticeable whisky in this blended malt giving it most of the colour, nose and palate.  This amber whisky is very maritime in its nose; the iodine of Talisker does not fool anyone.  Hints of caramel, menthol, cooked peaches and pears are the first impressions. After a while it develops some peat and camphor. The palate is also Taliskeresque, a salt-water burned toffee first impression is combine with fresh menthol and bourbon casks. The finish is medium-long.

Warm and fresh does not really goes together, but Green Label is feeling like this! Talisker and Caol Ila on the winter side and Cragganmore and Linkwood on the summer side.  I do have to say that I was expecting more character coming from Caol Ila, peat-wise,  but this may be due to the use of sweeter casks such muscatel casks like in their 1995 Distillers Edition.  It is a shame that JW has stopped producing this whisky; however it as already became a collector’s bottle.  Since 2011, it has gained around 20$ in value in private sales.  As for myself, I bought a whole case just before it left the market! Hope to sell you a 150$ Green Label Bottle in the near future!

Johnnie Walker Black Label

Johnnie Walker Black Label

A review by Tommy Byrne

Overall rating: 8/10 – (Blended whisky notation)

There are so many ways to view Johnnie Walker’s whiskies. It’s by far the best-selling brand of blends in the world and it has been like this for a while. In the beginning of the 20^th century, while Coca-Cola was sold only in 3 countries, Johnnie Walker was already available in roughly 95 of countries (counting former colonies who are nowadays sovereign States). If the Red Label (the start of the line product of JW) is to my sense a terrible blend only to be mixed in a cocktail, it can’t be compared to its older brother in the line, the Black Label (JWBL). Made with roughly 40 whiskies aged at least for 12 years, JWBL is fine blend with interesting features, even for single malt initiés, like me, who despises Chivas Regal 12.

JWBL is a dark gold leaning toward amber blend with a fresh and sharp nose. First come notes of raisins, dried plums and apples, then some peat and Jerez (Fino) aromas. The palate is quite rich and round. Slightly toasted, the blend presents itself with a hint of burned honey, bitter chocolate and some leather. It finishes smoothly, but could last longer.

As I once heard on a television interview with a key person at Johnnie Walker’s, even if they don’t admit it, almost all distillers in Scotland have a bottle of JWBL hidden in their liquor cabinet. This makes a lot of sense, while a certain snobbism exists in the single malt community; JWBL uses more robust and complex single malts than its competitors. Though it’s no secret that Cardhu 12 and Caol Ila 12 are strong components of the JWBL structure, I’m quite sure that other distillers are always interested in figuring out how their own single malt comes out in this emblematic blend.