I've been a Johnnie Walker Black drinker for a long time now. I really love the high and the taste. Maybe it was snobbish of me but I have not touched the JW Red since I thought it was some harsh stuff. Well, I tried me some last week. Acutally bought some, sat down and did some drinking.
My conclusion: For what it is, it is actually some very good stuff. In fact, I'd put it right at the top of the game in it's category - namely, less than upper tier blends. It's light and flavorful with the classic scotch flavor and honey color. Not the smoke of a Chivas or the blonde elegance of a Glenlivet, but then like I said, it ain't top shelf.
The high was good too. I'd call it modern, light and clean. Certainly not the rocketsled feel akin to an ice cold Sapphire Gin martini - I still can't believe these things are legal. Also, no comparison to the ear ringing numb sophisticated satisfaction derived from half bottle of a Mondavi Reserve Cab. But instead a clean light background high that you can enjoy while interfacing with family members or enjoying a game of chess. It ain't so sex drug, but it ain't designed to be.
All in all a good scotch at a good price for those who shop below topshelf. The best of the middle and lower classes.
really love the high and the taste. Maybe it was snobbish of me but I have not touched the JW Red since I thought it was some harsh stuff. Well, I tried me some last week.
If I remember back many years it is has a really bright flavor. I would guess that's from the Cardhu. Most top shelf blends really do have nice flavor, even if they're a bit raw for real serious dramming.
The blends I have for ice drinking right now Teachers and the McClelland's Islay. I REALLY enjoy the McClellands Islay on ice. Teacher's has good flavor too.
Oh! The high! The McClellands Islay on the rocks high is a bit like a cold metal spatula on the forehead.
ice and water drinking........... how would you describe it?
I just had some tonight--an hour ago. On ice it is still enormously alive. I think it might be the ultimate "sinus infection" whiskey, because it has enormously vivid salty tongue tang. It also has a nice burst of peat that the cold-addled palate might never pick up, but it is a great blend to have in the cabinet (Bushido has also sung its praises). It was nice on ice.
After that I had a Signatory Orkney (Highland Park) on ice, and it was nicely pleasant. Mild. Certainly not as pretty as the distillery-bottled
12, but o.k. enough.
Then I had the Signatory Islay (Lagavulin?) 5-year old on ice, and it was dull and muted. A tired, almost sick, whisky. Back to the back of the shelf it goes, in hopes that it hits the palate at a different angle some future date.
Then came the single malts (no ice). Comparing a Bunnahabhain 12 and this intriguing new Ben Nevis 10 (46%), the Bunnahabhain is not as densely 'old' as my previous Bunny bottling, but it still has a pretty waft of bourbon, amid a mild sea-salt pleasantness. This Bunny 12 is still very much worth an under-$30 investment (though my previous one was more like a remarkable archival find in the upper balconies of the British Museum archives--all dense and rich and erudite). The Ben Nevis 46%, on the other hand, has a bourbon kick, and is very fresh, and is strangely and irresistably captivating. I keep seeking it out. For $19.99 U.S, it might be an absolute killer number. I'm thinking I should buy three or four. It is so alive and awake, and although I don't always respect bourbon bleat, it still is a very, very worthy dram, with all that zest, and cleanness, and punch, and twist.
To compare, a Glenmorangie 10 (very standard bottling) was nice, reliable, dependent, in a bourbon-touch way, but then, in the course of succesive pourings, lost out against the likes of the spirity and iodinely-pungent Laphroaig cask-strength--great gobs of briny, sea-lifey essence. Can't be imitated. Hard to beat. Then came the Signatory UCF Ardmore, and the VERY VERY unique flavor of this unique bottling (I've described it before as the smell of the Berlin U-Bahn, which is indelibly shaped in my childhood memories as an absolutely curious and enchanting aroma) burst joyously in bright and brilliant uniqueness on the palate--though it isn't as bold as the others--you have to half wait for it. Still, the Signatory UCF Ardmore is still one of a kind. A kind I cling to like the mast of the Titanic. But that's my Berlin childhood shining through.
My local stockist tells me that the Ben Nevis is on its way to our retail shelves. I haven't seen it yet. Good to hear it's an worthy dram. What does the bottle / label look like?
retail shelves. I haven't seen it yet. Good to hear it's an worthy dram. What does the bottle / label look like?
It looks like the picture on this webpage, where it gets panned:
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This whisky is smack-in-the face bourbon, as far as I'm concerned. Enough so that the first time I had it I hated it and called it "bourbon juice". When the bourbon blast is passed, it starts to show some of the gently musty flavor complexity of my Signatory Ben Nevis, while retaining a clean punch on the palate.
I'm amazed that this website and tasting notes at another site I peeked at when looking for a piccie did not use the "B" word. REALLY amazed. Maybe it's a completely different batch.
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