Johnnie Walker Black Label 12-Year Blended Scotch Review

Johnnie Walker. It is one of the most well-known and recognizable whisky brands. Even if you’re not a whisky drinker, even if whisky isn’t on your radar, the chances are that you’ve heard of Johnnie Walker.

 

We also know that many brands are named to honor fictional people. So, was there a Johnnie Walker, and if so, who was he?

 

Johnnie Walker was born in 1805. He was the son of a farmer, who tragically died when Johnnie was only 14. The family could no longer work the farm and sold it that year. In 1820, the proceeds were invested into a grocery store in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. Although only a teenager, Johnnie was the store’s manager. Five years later, he was selling various spirits from his store.

 

It wasn’t long before Johnnie divested himself of all the spirits except whisky. At that time, blending malt and grain whiskies was illegal, so Johnnie concentrated on blended malts and grains. He made these blends to his customers’ specifications. He soon realized he needed a brand and sold his blended malts as Walker’s Kilmarnock Whisky.

 

Johnnie passed away in 1857, and the brand was passed to his son and grandson. A new law called The Spirits Act of 1860 rescinded the restriction of blending malts and grains, opening up a whole new world for distillers.

 

In 1893, the Walkers purchased the Cardhu distillery. The Cardhu brand was retired. What was there was sold as a five-year Old Highland, a nine-year Special Old Highland, and a 12-year Extra Special Old Highland. The first had a white label, the second was red, and the third was black. People would order these whiskies by their respective colors. It wasn’t long before the Walkers rebranded their whiskies to reflect customers' preferences.

 

That’s the history of the Johnnie Walker brand, and today, I’m sipping on Johnnie Walker Black Label. It is still a dozen years old, made from a blend of 30 to 40 malt whiskies from around Scotland, a large portion of which comes from Islay. It is bottled at 40% ABV (80°) and sold nearly everywhere for about $35.00 for a 750ml.

 

Let’s #DrinkCurious and discover what this iconic whisky is all about.

 

Appearance: I poured this into my Glencairn glass and drank it neat. The copper liquid formed a medium rim on the wall. A wavy curtain of thick tears fell back into the pool.

 

Nose: If you think that because this Scotch has a significant Islay component, it must be a smoke bomb, you’d have guessed wrong. Instead, it is sweeter peat, along with lemon, peach, vanilla, and grass. When I pulled the air through my lips, I got a good whiff of vanilla.

 

Palate: English toffee, mocha, and vanilla were carried across the front of my palate. I picked that up before even considering the texture, which had a medium weight and feel. Once I could concentrate on the flavors again, I found strawberry, raspberry, and cinnamon midway through. The back featured gentle, smoky peat, white pepper, and caramel.

 

Finish: This is where the Islay factor presents itself. The smoke remained, the white pepper turned black, and the fruity notes hung around.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: Johnnie Walker Black will satisfy you if peat is your thing. If you are peat curious, this Scotch is an excellent way to introduce yourself to it. It isn’t harsh, and nothing is overly muted. There’s really nothing not to like about this whisky. It has enough character to keep things interesting, is reasonably priced, and is a great staple in your home bar. Don’t let anyone thumb their nose at this one; it earns every bit of my Bottle rating. Cheers!

 

My Simple, Easy-to-Understand Rating System

• Bottle = Buy It
• Bar = Try It
• Bust = Leave It

 

Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you do so responsibly.