Back in the early 1930s, Sir Alexander Walker, grandson to John Walker, was a passenger on a trans-Atlantic voyage.  During a visit to the ship’s bar, he noticed all the bottles of liquor moving around chaotically with the motion of the ship.  Mr. Walker took note.  When he arrived back in Scotland, he went to work designing a bottle that would swing back and forth with the motion of the ship.  With this new swinging bottle, Alexander also created a new blended Scotch whisky.  Nowadays, Johnnie Walker Swing can be found in duty free shops.  However, every now and then it will appear on a store shelf, which is how I picked up my bottle.

Overall a pretty sweet nose.  A fruity sweetness dominates the nose, with some malt and creamy toffee chews (think Werther’s Originals) buried beneath the surface.  Taste-wise, there is a sweet honeyed entry followed by orange marmalade, oak and vanilla.  There’s also a slight strange grainy note.  It’s lurking in the background, but doesn’t really bring down the rest of the experience.  Finally there’s a medium length finish with a sweet honey and slightly smoky aftertaste.

Johnnie Walker Swing is one of the sweeter of the Johnnie Walker whiskies I’ve tasted.  The honey and fruity notes playing with the signature Johnnie Walker style.  It almost comes together beautifully.  What’s in the glass is quite enjoyable, but if the sweetness were toned down a hair, I’d score it another point higher.  A bottle should run around $60.  If you’re a fan of the Johnnie Walker house style, this is one you want to taste.