Johnnie Walker Black Label
Johnnie Walker Black Label is the quintessential high-quality/low-cost blended Scotch. Personally, I think this is the most versatile blended Scotch available. This is also the most approachable Johnnie Walker blend - it’s light, flavorful, just a bit of smoke, lots of honey and malt, easy to sip or pour on some rocks.
This is one step above Johnnie Walker Red Label, which is really a mixer bottle, and one step below Johnnie Walker Double Black, the “kicked-up” version of this expression. If there’s one bottle of Johnnie I keep on my bar, it’s this one.
Johnnie Walker Black Label: Specs
Classification: Scotch, Blended
Origin: Varied single malts throughout Scotland
Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley
Proof: 80 (40% ABV)
Age: 12 Years Old
Location: N/A
Johnnie Walker Black Label Price: $30 (MSRP)
Johnnie Walker Black Label Scotch: Tasting Notes
Eye: Golden amber, very thick legs.
Nose: Fruity - peaches and stone fruits. Heather smoke and smoked honey.
Palate: Honeyed stone fruits, almost cognac sweetness without being cloying. Enough smoke to tell you it’s there, but just enough - this isn’t a smoky whisky by any means - the smoke is an added complexity. Mouthfeel is light and smooth, very little proof heat.
Finish: Honey malt-forward, light smoke lingers as does the cognac note.
Overall: The finish on this lasts forever. To me this is a somewhat sweet blend, but I think that’s just where it should be - lots of honey and honey malt, stone fruits, and enough smoke to represent the blends inside without being a distraction. I’m a proof hound and still enjoy a Johnnie Walker Black neat once in awhile - a great example of how low proof doesn’t mean low taste when it comes to Scotch whisky.
Final Rating: 7.3
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)
8 | Excellent | Exceptional (12+YO MGP Bourbon, Highland Park Single Barrels)
7 | Great | Well above average (Blanton’s Original, Old Weller Antique, Booker’s)
6 | Very Good | Better than average (Four Roses Small Batch Select, Knob Creek 14+ YO Picks)
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond)
4 | Sub-par | Many things I’d rather have (A.D. Laws Four Grain, Compass Box “Oak Cross”)
3 | Bad | Flawed (Iron Smoke Bourbon, Balcones)
2 | Poor | Forced myself to drink it (Buckshee Bourbon and Rye)
1 | Disgusting | Drain pour (Virginia Distilling Co. Cider Cask)
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