Tasting notes: Evan Williams, and Johnnie Walker Black Label

A few days ago I was at Total Wine and picked up 2 bottles
of whisky:

  - Johnnie Walker Black Label Scotch Whisky, 375ml ($18)
  - Evan Williams Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, 50ml ($1)

My tasting notes:

Johnnie Walker Black Label:  Smell in glass is of rubbing
alcohol, nothing else.  Flavor on sipping shows a touch of
toasted oak, a little sweetness, a little malt.  Adding a
splash of water tames the alcohol and draws out a slight
hint of peat.  Overall impression: bland, undrinkable swill.
My grade: F.  Waaaaay over-priced at $18/375ml.

Evan Williams Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey:  Smell in
glass is an over-powering, heady bouquet of flowers and
herbs.  On sipping, luscious velvety texture and rich,
strong odors of flowers, herbs, fruit, leather, soap,
women's perfume, and other things I can't begin to
identify.  Intoxicating witch's brew.  Startling and
off-putting to someone like me who's idea of "whisky"
is Macallan, Glen Morangie, or Laphroaig.  But I like it.
Overall impression: Strong, complex, rich, well-balanced.
My grade: B.  (And that's from a Bourbon-hater.)
An amazing whiskey!  And I only paid $1 for it (albeit
a tiny bottle.)  I wish I'd bought 18 bottles of this
instead of spending that $18 on Johnnie Walker Black.

I hope Johnnie Walker Green is a WHOLE lot better than
their Black (which, in my opinion, sux), else I may skip
the Green and go for a single malt in a few weeks.


--
Cheers,
Robbie Hatley
Midway City, CA, USA
lonewolf (at) well (dot) com
http://www.well.com/user/lonewolf/