Johnnie Walker Blue Label Scotch Whisky Review

Johnnie Walker Blue

Here we are… the top of the Johnnie Walker lineup.  I first heard of Johnnie Walker Blue Label in the early 2000s, before I was really into whisky.  Pre-Hurricane Katrina, a friend of mine was saving up for a bottle.   She called it her favorite “smoky Scotch.”  I’ve been intrigued ever since.  Of course, we know the toll that hurricane took on the city of New Orleans.  My friend never got to buy that bottle of JW Blue Label, although she still mentions it from time to time.  Fast forward many years – I have a sample bottle of the stuff in front of me.  As I dive into the whisky in my glass, I can’t help being reminded of the nearly empty fishbowl that sat on my friend’s desk with a sign that read “Johnnie Walker Blue Fund”.  Good times.

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Johnnie Walker Platinum Label Scotch Whisky Review

Johnnie Walker Platinum

Johnnie Walker Platinum Label is one of the brand’s newer permanent blends.  It’s inspired by the company’s tradition of creating exclusive blends for private gatherings.  Carrying an 18 year old age statement, this blended whisky replaces the former JW Gold Label 18 year in the lineup, and is positioned as a more premium offering than the current Gold Label Reserve.  After all, platinum is more valuable than gold.  A press release from Diageo, owner of the Johnnie Walker brand, states that the whiskies that constitute this blend are drawn from casks from between 20 and 25 distilleries.  Bottled at 40% abv, JW Platinum sits right under older brother Blue Label in terms of price with an SRP of $110.

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Johnnie Walker Swing Scotch Whisky Review

Johnnie Walker Swing

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.

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