Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and metallic. The first thing to come through is a grain sweetness and a hint of peat. Behind that is a rather unpleasant metallic note. There’s a butterscotch layer, but it’s much more toned down campared to other cheap blends. A hint of red apples and some honey can be found in the back. It’s not offensive on the nose, but it does tell the tale of a cheap whisky.
Mouth: The metallic youthness and the grain sweetness are first to arrive. They are accompanied with a spicy note. Soon after butterscotch comes through. The peat is building up and creats an outside layer giving it a nice frame. This is a rollercoaster ride between good and bad. The fruitiness is completely gone and there is a struggle between the grain and the malt for attention.
Finish: The spicyness mellows out and becomes a menthol note. Then it once again turns to grain sweetness and butterscotch. The oakiness arrives after a few seconds and it’s a fresh, slightly dry oak. It’s not unpleasant, but doesn’t produce any complexity. This is actually a bit better than its reputation, but it’s by no means a very good tasting whisky.
Additional information
The Red Label is the best selling scotch in the world. The content isn’t disclosed but it’s said to contain 35 different kind of whiskies. It was created in 1906 as the ”Special Old Highland Whisky”.
Tasting notes
Nose: This is candy cane and pine trees. The first impact is extremely sweet and the rye Cask finish is very noticable. The candy cane note consists of vanilla, peppermint, spices and honey. The grain distillate sits as a backdrop and gives it a thick layer of added sweetness. There are some Bassett’s allsorts somewhere in the back and a minty layer on top. It is actually kind of nice on the nose and the 10+ years have removed most of the harshness from the grain distillate.
Mouth: It’s very watery at first and then the rye spices and the pine notes take over. It’s not as sweet as on the nose which is a good thing, but there’s a thick vanilla layer sitting in the back. A slight bitterness builds up after a few seconds but it never turns over to become an oakiness. It feels quite light and lacks some depth. The rye spices really build up after a few sips.
Finish: A cloud of menthol fills the mouth and then disappears equally fast. The pine note becomes very pronounced and the candy cane now sits in the back. It stays this way a long time before a subtle oakiness finally arrives. It’s a touch dry and it never really takes front seat until everything else sort of allows it to. This is overall actually a quite enjoyable blend.
Additional information
This is the first release in Johnnie Walker’s Select Casks range. It’s made up by blending whiskies matured in first fill american oak casks for at least 10 years and then finished in american ex-rye casks.
Tasting notes
No taste notes were recorded during the tasting.
Additional information
This blend was created in 1909 and consists of over 40 different whiskies. It’s a step up from the Red Label in the Johnny Walker core range.
ABV: 40 %
ABV: 46 %
ABV: 40 %
William’s Whisky Database 