Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve Blended Scotch Review & Tasting Notes

 

Johnnie Walker is one of the most famous and easily recognizable whisky brands worldwide. Even if you're not a whisky enthusiast, you've likely come across the name Johnnie Walker at some point.

 

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, born in 1805, lost his father tragically at the age of 14. Consequently, the family had to sell their farm that same year. In 1820, the money from the sale was used to invest in a grocery store in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, which Johnnie managed despite his young age. Within five years, he started selling a variety of spirits from the store.

 

Johnnie quickly stopped producing all spirits except for whisky. At the time, combining malt and grain whiskies was against the law, so he focused on creating blends of malt and grain whiskies to meet his customer's specific preferences. He recognized the need for a brand and began selling his blended malts as Walker's Kilmarnock Whisky.

 

After Johnnie's passing in 1857, his son and grandson inherited the brand. With the passing of The Spirits Act of 1860, the restriction on blending malts and grains was lifted, creating new opportunities 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 story behind the Johnnie Walker brand, and today, I’m exploring its Gold Label Reserve blended Scotch whisky.

 

“Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve is a whisky that plays nicely with others but always holds its own. This award-winning Scotch is made from whiskies chosen for their sweet, honeyed qualities. We select them when they're at their most vibrant for vivid flavor in every mouthful.” – Johnnie Walker

 

Originally, Gold Label carried an 18-year age statement. However, that was dropped in 2013, and two expressions replaced it: Platinum, which carried an 18-year age statement, and Gold Label Reserve, which has none.

 

The Gold Label Reserve is a blend of 15 malt and grain whiskies distilled at Diageo’s Speyside and both mainland and island Highland distilleries. It is bottled at 40% ABV (80°) and has a suggested retail price of $79.99, although I have seen it priced lower in some venues.

 

I procured a 50ml sample bottle at a random liquor store to pen this review. I believe that set me back at about $6.99.

 

What you need to know is that, for the most part, I enjoy Johnnie Walker’s expressions. Some are very pricy for what they are, and others seem to be quite the bargain. Let’s #DrinkCurious and see how the Gold Label Reserve pans out.    

 

Appearance: I poured my sample into a Glencairn glass and sipped it neat. The liquid inside was a brassy amber. A massive rim released slow, watery tears that rolled back to the pool of Scottish liquid sunshine.

 

Nose: The first smells included muted peat and salted caramel. Beneath those, I discovered honeysuckle, orange peel, malt, raw almonds, and bananas. Drawing the air through my lips revealed honey and more bananas.

 

Palate: Sipping Gold Label Reserve was akin to drinking water. It was weighty and flowed easily across my tongue, with the typical Clynelish waxiness left behind. The front of my palate encountered butterscotch, grass, and lemon zest, while the middle featured vanilla, pears, and nutmeg. The back tasted of cinnamon powder, oak, and leather.   

 

Finish: The short-to-medium duration gave enough time to identify flavors of leather, cinnamon, vanilla cream, lemon zest, and oak.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve is a blend that easily appeals to whisky drinkers who want to explore more profound, expensive Scotches. It is tasty and well-balanced; however, it isn’t overly exciting. There are better blends, and, in fact, I would place this behind Johnnie Walker Black and Johnnie Walker High Rye, and you could walk away with both bottles for what you’d pay for Gold Label Reserve. Because of that, this one takes my Bar 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 to do so responsibly.