Johnnie Walker Double Black

Rating27.1/40
OriginScotland
BlenderDiageo
SeriesJohnnie Walker
EditionDouble Black
StyleBlended Whisky
PeatedYes
CaskBlend aced in heavily charred casks.
Strength40% (80 Proof)

Introduced around 2012 or so, the Double Black was a new concoction by master blender Jim Beveridge. After blending the whisky is matured in “deep-charred old oak casks” which adds additional smoke and depth. Whether or not the whisky is already cask aged prior to blending I’m not certain. Either way, it’s actually one of my preferred choices in the Johnnie Walker line-up.

Nose: A salty, meaty smoke, kind of like German Landjaegers or ham. Light but quite solid and mildly prickly with a hint of mint emerging on the back end. Satisfying but doesn’t evolve much. (6.8/10)

Palate: The initial impact comes with a weird watery numbness out which the peat smoke from the nose emerges. Though that smoke has now shifted over to a mossier, fuzzier and earthier range on the spectrum. From there the whole thing separates into actual smoke and slightly watery liquid right on the verge of the finish. (6.3/10)

Finish: The smoke that rose out of the liquid hangs around for quite some time in the upper regions of the throat and mouth. It’s now reminiscent of very dry earth. There is even a nice bit of warmth evolving in the chest though it’s limited by the low strength of this whisky. Still the finish is rather enjoyable. (7.4/10)

Balance: While the finish punches above its weight it also, unfortunately, takes the wind out of the sails of the nose and palate on subsequent sips. For that it gets dinged a bit on the balance. Usually I’d rate a whisky that finishes on a high not comparably high on balance but not in this case. (6.6/10)

Johnnie Walker White Walker Game of Thrones Ltd. Ed., 2018

Rating23.3/40
OriginScotland
BlenderDiageo
SeriesJohnnie Walker/Game of Thrones
EditionWhite Walker
StyleBlended Whisky
Bottled2018
Strength41.7% (83.4 Proof)

This limited edition was Diageo’s Johnnie Walker addition to the series of mostly pretty decent Game of Thrones branded single malts from their massive portfolio of Scottish distilleries. An additional gimmick here is that, if you freeze the bottle, you’ll see some changes on the wrapping. Which one could interpret to be a less-then-trust-inspiring suggestion or expectation by Diageo that most people should or will drink this on the rocks. Winter… is it coming?

Nose: Something green? Conifer-like? Like pine boards painted with stain made from freshly ground pine needles and a base of bitter sap. A minute or two in there is a surprising puff of sherry that quickly melts away into caramel made from generic brown sugar. (5/10)

Palate: Hm, this is actually reasonably nice given that I wasn’t exactly a huge fan of the nose. A mellow but flavorful entrance. Is that a very faint echo of Bowmore lavender notes in there? Anyhow, this will do fine as a starter for the night but probably won’t hold up to much else that comes after. The flavors do wear out sip after sip like a cheap t-shirt’s fading colors but it’s pleasant enough. (6.8/10)

Finish: Surprisingly, even at this low strength, the blend actually manages to generate a little bit of heat in the chest, at least when it’s the first of the night. A pleasant surprise that. Unfortunately all the notes from the palate thin out into some residual bitterness and sparingly applied coating of some sweet, fake fruit flavor, like some unpopular candy. That said, eventually things layer up a bit and there’s actually a pleasantly flavorful afterglow to enjoy. It takes perhaps a bit too much effort to get there but, hey, not complaining. Well, not complaining anymore after it arrives. (6/10)

Balance: Eh, it’s not terrible or anything. Happy to warm up with this one if there’s nothing else that’s more enticing. No particular desire to stay with it for too long though. Time to move on. If the rating for balance feels oddly low it’s partly because of the suboptimal nose and mostly because the pleasant part of the finish takes a while to develop and, until that happens, the backend is not exactly enjoyable. There’s good stuff in this blend but, in terms of the experience and the journey, the price one has to pay for it is perhaps just a little higher than warranted. (5.5/10)