Scottish Whisky

Johnnie Walker Blue Label Legendary Eight

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky /

Johnnie Walker Blue Label Legendary Eight
Blended Scotch Whisky

43.8% ABV
$350
Website
Johnnie Walker Blue Label Legendary Eight Blended Scotch Whisky

What the Retailer* Says

Johnnie Walker Blue Label Legendary Eight is a smooth, mellow Scotch made using some of their rarest whiskies from across the untamed fields of Scotland, including exceptionally rare whiskies from ‘ghost’ distilleries. Each whisky is hand selected from eight legendary distilleries – featured on the bottle and pack – that existed when John Walker made his first steps embarking on his journey that began 200 years ago.

Johnnie Walker’s small team of 12 expert whisky makers came together to create this exceptional Scotch inspired by rare whiskies from these iconic and pioneering distilleries. This new limited edition release of Johnnie Walker Blue Label is a rare jewel crafted using Scotch from the legendary distilleries of Oban, Blair Athol, Lagavulin, Teaninich, Brora, Cambus, Port Dundas and Carsebridge.

“It’s fascinating to reflect on the idea that these famous distilleries also walked a 200-year journey and their whiskies still inspire us today. This new limited edition celebrates that shared experience and the contribution these rare whiskies continue to make to Johnnie Walker today and into tomorrow.”
-Jim Beveridge, Johnnie Walker Master Blender

NOSE: The blend is rich with layers of brown sugars, soft fruit and sweet wood. These flavors evolve to reveal hints of green apple and a subtle zest; complementing the gentle peat unfolding in the background to give an overarching warming sensation.
PALATE: A wonderful sweetness envelops the taste buds, through which notes of stone fruits, stewing apples and cocoa emerge.
FINISH: A wisp of smoke comes through to deepen the flavor resulting in a soft and lightly peppered finish.

* Could find no reliable source of information from the blender/producer; above is from a retailer’s description.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Pleasant, floral, dried fruit with peaches and apple cider, brown sugar and earthy underpinnings.
Palate:  Apples, pears, peaches with a tangy butterscotch with subtle but building pepper spice.
Finish:  Moderately long with fruit, vanilla and pepper.
Comments:  This is a well balanced dram, with sweet, savory, and just a hint of peat. Very easy to drink, although at this price point I’d expect more complexity. Johnnie Walker Blue is one of these well known higher-end pours that I’ve never quite gotten (don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate it, but didn’t love it either). I bought a JW sample pack years ago just to try it, and unfortunately that sample is long gone. But in reviewing my review notes from that, this strikes a very similar note. A nice enough dram, but premium price would leave me passing it by personally.

Rating: Stands Out

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Duncan Taylor 30 Year

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky / ,

Duncan Taylor 30 Year
Blended Scotch Whisky

40% ABV
$250
Website
Duncan Taylor 30 Year Blended Scotch Whisky
We would like to thank Barrell Craft Spirits and Ro-Bro Marketing & PR for sending us a sample to review.

What the Retailer* Says

Scotland – A rare blend of whiskies aged at least 30 years from Scotland’s most iconic distilleries. Soft aromas of oak and citrus are found on the nose, while the mouthfeel is viscous. This well balanced whisky consists of complex flavor notes like cereal, caramel and fresh fruit.

* Could find no reliable source of information from the blender/producer; above is from the retailer’s description.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Vanilla spongecake, floral, orange creamsicle, heather and honey.
Palate:  Sweet and malty with honey, vanilla, hint of citrus and apples with cinnamon near the back.
Finish:  Moderate in length with citrus and pepper spice.
Comments:  With 30 years maturity, I’m looking (nay – expecting) layers and complexity. This disappointed on both fronts, and was more a showcase of subtly. Having said that, there weren’t any notes I found off-putting, and this left me wanting more – like teasing at what a great whisky it might have been, if only . . . (higher ABV? less grain in the blend?) But when you get to this price point, the absence of off notes isn’t the bar.

Rating: Probably Pass/Average

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Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky /

Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve
Blended Scotch Whisky

40% ABV
$65
Website
Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve Blended Scotch Whisky

What the Blender Says

Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve is the perfect blend for an indulgent celebration. Luxurious, creamy and honeyed, it is a wonderful tribute to the harmonious partnership of Speyside and Highland Whiskies, with just a hint of smouldering embers from the West Coast. Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve is made for those unforgettable nights out with amazing friends.

Enjoy Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve in any way you like – on its own, with a dash of water, or along with your favourite mixer.

FLAVOURS
Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve is known for its creamy smoothness. It opens with a luxurious burst of delicate nectar and gentle smokiness that develops into sweet fruits and deeper, velvety, honeyed tones before giving way to sublime, lingering whispers of smoke and oakiness in the finish.

STORY
Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve is the Celebration Blend, a personal creation of Master Blender Jim Beveridge for very special nights out with very special friends. Included in the blend is the Clynelish Single Malt, whose distillery was fed with water from hills where gold was once discovered. Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve is every bit as luxurious and indulgent as its name suggests.

Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve has won several major awards, including four Le Monde Selection Grand Golds and four Double Golds at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

What Gary Says

Nose: Rich with sponge cake, peaches, plums, heather, vanilla, honey, floral with poached pears
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel, fruity, peaches, bit of earthiness underlying tropical fruit notes (kiwi?), blackcurrants, blackberries and pepper spice.
Finish: Moderately long with fruit notes, pepper spice and vanilla.
Comments: A nice, balanced dram that’s fruity with a bit of earthiness (wouldn’t go so far to say ‘peaty’). The palate bends towards tart fruits, and it takes a bit of water well, dropping the pepper spice edge a bit and rounding out the mouthfeel. This is really just the newer version of the Johnnie Walker Gold Label that dropped the 18 year age statement years ago (but added ‘Reserve’, so there’s that!) I don’t recall the 18 year version, but Rich’s review from 14 years earlier had the same price point – which tells you it isn’t the same. But for the price point I thought it was pretty good.

Rating: Stands Out

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Compass Box Flaming Heart 2022

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky / ,

Compass Box Flaming Heart 2022
Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

48.9% ABV
$160-200
Website
Compass Box Flaming Heart 2022 Blended Scotch Whisky

What the Blender Says

The whisky inspired by a rock song – remixed​
This is our seventh edition of Flaming Heart, the whisky that revels in the harmonies between heavy peat and toasted French oak. Imagine Metallica with a backing orchestra, and you’re getting close.
With the best bands, each album is an opportunity to explore and experiment; every record is an evolution from the one before. For fans of Flaming Heart, we always seek to evolve the ‘sound’ and have introduced a deep fruitiness to the arrangement for the 2022 version.
The smoke machine is powered by a combination of malts from the Laphroaig, Caol Ila and Talisker distilleries, while our Highland Malt Blend has spent more than five years in richly toasted virgin French oak custom casks to deliver round, booming spicy richness.
FLAVOUR PROFILE: A high-energy nose with smouldering peat embers, cigar wrapper and candied ginger. The palate is oily, smoky, rich and savoury.
SERVING RECOMMENDATIONS: A whisky for friends, great music, and not taking life too seriously.
TECHNICAL DETAILS: Bottled at 48.9%. Natural colour. Not chill filtered. Blended Malt Scotch Whisky. A limited edition of 9,606 bottles. August 2022.
LEAD WHISKYMAKER: James Saxon.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Smoke and peat with wisps of salty sea air, bit of tar, smoked pork lightly brushed with barbecue sauce, grilled peaches, pears, raisins, mineral notes and leather.
Palate:  Thick and creamy mouthfeel, sweet with smoky caramel, peat, berries, apples, raisins, cherries, and nutmeg.
Finish:  Long and syrupy with apricot jam and peat smoke.
Comments:  I’ve been a fan of Flaming Heart ever since I first tried one (which was the 2012 edition). The 2015 edition I was such a fan of, I stocked up and over a couple of years bought 6 or 7 bottles (hard to tell as some were drank over that period of time!) The SRP back then was around $130 so this wasn’t an inexpensive endeavor – but worth it to me. Fast forward to 2024 when I sat down with a sample of the 2022 Flaming Heart (which I didn’t buy as the SRP was closer to $200 when I saw it on the shelf). Knowing how much I have loved past releases, I wanted to do a blind side-by-side tasting with the 2015. I have to admit – kinda wishing I had picked up a bottle now! This is a marvelous whisky! By comparison, I found this to be thicker on the nose, with more darker fruit notes, and with a bit of water got notes of tropical fruits. The 2015 was a bit lighter in color, with less red and gold – and with a bit of water tended towards more citrusy notes. Also found the nose on the 2015 brighter but a bit thinner. I found the 2015 pretty similar to the 2012 when I did a similar blind side-by-side back in the day. Just another magnificent offering from the folks at Compass Box, who I’ve been fans of for many years while not loving everything they’ve put out.

Rating: Must Try/Must Buy

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Ardbeg Traigh Bhan 19 Years Old Batch 3

/ / Islay, Review, Scottish Whisky / ,

Ardbeg Traigh Bhan 19 Year Old Batch 3
Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky

46.2% ABV
$300 – $370
Website
Ardbeg Traigh Bhan 19 Year Old Batch 3 Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky

What the Distillery Says

From the Ardbeg Distillery to Port Ellen and beyond, follow the rocky coast and you will discover the heavenly vista of Traigh Bhan (pronounced tri-van), the beautiful beach known locally as the Singing Sands…
For this captivating place has white soft sands that sing beneath your feet, a hum that ebbs and flows with the winds and the tides. But beguiling as this place is, do not drop your guard. Bathing is ill advised in the seemingly tame crystal waters where jagged, volcanic rocks pierce the sands along the shore.
CURLS AND WISPS
Scented wood smoke billows, mingling with sea spray carried on the air. Wisps of pine resin, aniseed toffee and sweet lilies follow on the breeze. A flood of fresh citrus zest with a touch of cayenne pepper piques the senses, while a splash of water chases in a flow of waxy notes and charcoal, with droplets of classic Sherry and linseed oil.
TIDES OF CHANGE
A rush of rich, sappy texture is followed moments later by classic, sweet, smokiness, with tarry rope and treacle toffee bobbing on the palate. A second wave brings a ripple of soot and aniseed twists. Smoke is distant now but present, while smoked brown sugar, sugar coated walnuts and gentle spices float gently then dissolve. A long, unhurried finish carries bitter almonds, linseed oil, clove, pepper and soot in its wake, slowly drifting away.
Batch No. TB/03-10.10.01/21/BL

What Gary Says

Nose: Peat smoke, salty sea air, coastal camp fire, creosote, tar, smoked pork, hints of grapefruit, tangerines, nylon rope and wet bandages.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel, vanilla, peaches, pears, peat and cracked pepper.
Finish: Moderately long and wet with fruit, peat smoke and tobacco.
Comments: I’m a fan of Ardbeg, and to me this is a lovely, complex, nuanced dram. The meaty, smokey, brininess on the nose just transports me to what I imagine it must be like to have an open-pit fire on an Islay beach. A bit of water brings out caramel crème and honey on the palate. While I enjoy it, at this price point I’m not a buyer.

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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