Casks Of Glory

A few weeks ago, we bought you news of a brace of brand new Johnnie Walker bottlings which have now hit the shelves across the globe.  Gone now is the old style 18 year-old Centenary Gold Label (although retailers still have stocks available, so grab a bottle whilst you can) replaced by the un-aged Gold Label and the spanking new Platinum Label, which introduces the same age statement of 18 years to this differently formulated blend.   Both new releases fair extremely well in our opinion, especially the Platinum, which could very easily slake our thirst for the dearly departed Centenary edition (you'll be sorely missed...)  

Now it seems the Striding Man has been furiously pacing about again and rather than resting on his laurels, has been at it again with yet another new release -  this time an addition to the Blue Label family.

The Casks Edition is a duty free only release, hitting airports across Asia, Europe, South America, the Middle East and Australia.  Bottled at 55.8% the blend is another Jim Beveridge special, which aims to highlight a more powerful, robust nuances in whisky making that individual casks can bring to the party. Released in small batches (although we don't know of what size)  the price is not that far off the price of the regular Blue Label, ($300 for a litre bottle) so for those Blue Label fans with that hung-ho holiday spirit passing through a major airport, this looks like an attractive bottle to take to one's poolside retreat. 

So what is it like?  Where does it sit next to the new releases and indeed- the regular edition of Blue Label??

Not the official bottle shot

Johnnie Walker Blue Label - The Casks Edition - 55.8%

Nose: Ooh. Big, bold and quite mossy on the first nosing. Very spicy, with notes of garam masala, peppers, dried ginger, a hint of smoke (less than I expected), then moist fruit cake, with a vanilla cream butter icing. Given some long lingering wafts, notes of spiced apple come to the fore, alongside sponge fingers dipped in Oloroso sherry.  With water, white pepper and some toffee apple notes develop, alongside a weighty dry sherry.  As a JW, this is certainly a big meaty fellow, like the striding man has been in training for a forthcoming athletic spectacle perhaps? 

Palate: Undiluted, the palate is fiery and untamed at first, as one would expect with a cask strength whisky, but soon the heat dies away to reveal a gingery, spicy side, steeped in touches of classic JW golden syrup, sponge cake, cinnamon apple strudel and a touch of vanilla pipe tobacco.  With water, the stewed apple, golden syrup and spice (liquorice this time) develop.  As July days go, it's a bit nippy around the drinking halls of Caskstrength towers and this is working through from within to revivify me. 

Finish: Lingering dry spice notes, with just the faintest smoke and sweetness in cake form.

Overall: For fans of JW in general it won't come as a surprise that this whisky is exquisitely put together.  Less smoke than the Gold and Black Labels, with a heavier slant towards sherry casks,  whatever Mr Beveridge has to play with in his blending rooms is clearly superb and this JW edition just highlights why his understanding of the striding man is becoming almost like a 6th sense.  

As Good As Gold?

Recently news reached us concerning a new Johnnie Walker expression darting out of the starting blocks very soon, coupled with the launch of a newly formulated Johnnie Walker Gold Label. Question is, were we excited?  The answer was of course a resounding yes.

No matter what people may have to say about this universally available brand, it has changed the landscape of blended whisky forever and in new emerging markets JW is currently blazing a trail as an upwardly mobile drink for new palates to enjoy. Johnnie Walker Gold Label (the 18yo) has pretty much been my house blend since I chanced upon a bottle about six years ago and despite its age, is a superbly versatile whisky, which works in a variety of ways - from sipping neat from a nosing glass to  enjoying with a block of ice in front of the TV.

 Johnnie Walker's growing ambitions

When I heard that the 18yo edition of Gold Label was being phased out, my heart skipped a beat. Surely some mistake I thought, but the writing was on the wall for this undoubtedly premium blend and I was hugely disappointed at its loss.

However, the good news is that it hasn't gone completely, just had a facelift - and grown a twin brother made out of an even more precious metal - Platinum.

JW Master Blender Jim Beveridge has reformulated Gold Label, removing the age statement in the process - dropping its price down to around £40. Good news indeed. But what's wrong with it being 18 years old, I hear you say? Well, in Jim's own words: "age statements can be quite constraining - with a no age statement whisky it gives me a much wider scope to work with."

The newly formulated Gold Label Reserve has, according to Jim, around 20-25 different malts and 2-3 grain whiskies in its creation and took about 4 months to develop. The 'Reserve' aspect apparently refers to a proportion of casks earmarked for greatness, held in Diageo's vast warehousing complexes.

The question is whether the new Gold Label will maintain the original's zeal- and appeal.  Or, will it take it to somewhere altogether different?

Johnnie Walker - Gold Label Reserve - Blended Whisky - 40%

Nose: Fudge notes, drying sherry, dried prunes, vanilla and heather honey. Water brings notes of classic light Walker smoke and candied fruit. So far, so good.

Palate: Initially very light, with vanilla and waxy honey (the influence of Clynelish is still really apparent.) Given time, the blend really begins to open up with a distinct smokiness and a slightly thin grainy note. With water, the grains show themselves a little more, followed by sliced apple and more of the Clynelish waxiness.

Finish: Lingering smokiness and a touch of dried fruit.

Overall: Ok, let's get this straight: it isn't the same blend as the 18 year old Centenary Edition. Part of me feels like this is less of a whisky, but then again, I feel i'd drink this version of Gold Label in a different way. It screams out for slamming a bottle in the freezer, making high-balls, mixing with ginger wine and everything in between. It won't happen overnight, but i'm going to re-visit this as a whisky to crack out at parties, rather than just hoarding for my greedy ol' self.  

Next up- Johnnie Walker Platinum 18 years old. I have been wanting to try this since discovering Diageo were developing it some months back. Looking at the pricing structure of the JW blends, there always seemed to be a bit of a hole in the range, especially given the fact that Gold Label was approximately a third of the price of Blue Label. I had assumed that this would be priced accordingly, at around the £80 mark, but was surprised to hear it will come in at £69. The cynic would say that it has taken the place of old Gold label 18yo, with an additional £15 price tag, but as we have seen with the Gold Label Reserve, appearances can be deceiving. 

Johnnie Walker - Platinum - Blended Whisky - 18 years old - 40% 

Nose: Streuth. This is really good, straight off the bat. Rich spiced notes, mix with plum pudding, stewed rhubarb, cherry compote and aromatic cedar wood smoke. Superbly balanced. The vanillas start to creep in on the fruit given a little time in the glass and notes of orange oil grab your attention.  

Palate: Very oily and thick on the palate. heavily fragranced, with baked oranges, subtle notes of caramel shortcake, orange sherbet and gentle smoke. With water, cereal notes develop, with cherry jam and fudge. 

Finish: More stewed fruit, with a lingering note of the the wonderfully aromatic smoke. 

Overall:  There's no flannel here -  this really is a masterpiece of blending. The balance between rich malts (apparently 30-odd), plus several differently aged grains is exquisite. This doesn't really need water as such, but a small splash helps lift the aromas to new heights.  

Despite feeling like I'll really miss the 18yo Gold Label, with the Platinum becoming available I won't feel too upset for long. Yes, it's more expensive, but like the new Gold (which is considerably cheaper), it's a totally different - but in many ways, a far superior blend. The Gold Reserve is now a more affordable 'upsell' (god, I hate that phrase) to Black Label and will work wonderfully in convivial situations - but if you are a fan of the 18yo version- don't expect this to be the same whisky- it isn't. Stock up now before it disappears from the shelves. Then when it's run out, you have a choice to make -  thankfully, there is likely to be a happy ending whatever you decide to buy next. 

As Good As Gold?

As many eagle eyed regulars on here will remember, we're pretty big fans of Johnnie Walker's Gold Label blend. It ticks almost every box- finesse, price, versatility and all-round, solid blending. However, we've had mixed feelings about its more expensive brother, the Blue Label. In some areas, it often felt like it was missing something, that extra sparkle that one would expect for a whisky in its price bracket. I first encountered Blue Label at a restaurant in Cape Town- for the surprisingly generous sum of £7 for a dram. Needless to say, I enjoyed it, but still my mind returned to the half drunk bottle of Gold, sitting in my cabinet at home.

So it is with great intrigue that I recently had the opportunity to try the Blue Label again, but this time in the company of its 2 older and much more prestigious brothers- the King George V and newly released, 'The John Walker' bottling.

The John Walker now occupies the role as flagship of the Blue Label range and has been aimed at the increasing number of High End Cognac drinkers across the globe. Made in batches of 330 bottles from 9 casks (3 of which we're told include Cardhu, the discontinued Glen Albyn and Talisker) this is certainly going to have a story to tell. The blend is married for around 4 months in oak before being encased in individually numbered Baccarat crystal decanters and housed in hand crafted Chinese pine cases, which apparently take around 60 hours to turn out. And it shows. The case does look superb.

So where does this leave the whisky? Could this turn into the story of the man, who spent so much on the exterior of his house that he couldn't afford to furnish the inside? I sincerely hope not. Mind you, if I was small enough I think I would be quite happy taking up residence in one of these...

Johnnie Walker Blue Label - The John Walker - Blended Whisky - 43%

Nose: Reserved, but stirring. give this time and it really begins to open up. Vanilla notes, leading into aromas of malty, freshly baked loaves, lemon zest, seville oranges and heather honey. Scented wax notes also develop. Brilliantly balanced.

Palate: Quite a big surprise here. Whereas, we have found the Blue Label to lack some depth, this is a surprisingly bold palate, with a distinct note of briney peat, leading into milky, sweetened coffee, turkish delight more honey and mint chocolate notes. All this is wrapped up in a viscous, oily mouth feel.

Finish: An oaky dryness develops, with the coffee notes lingering and a return of the vanilla from the nose.

Overall: The nose and palate are sensational and certainly demonstrate just how blended whisky can beguile and give us hours of enjoyment. The finish perhaps doesn't deliver quite as many superlatives, but this is still no doubt, a class act. In comparison to the original Blue Label this shows a far greater elegance, which one would expect with the kind of whiskies used in its creation. It also highlights a different style of blending to the King George V bottling, which is much heavier on the dried fruit notes.

The best experience i've had with Blue Label? Certainly. But discount the other blends in the JW portfolio at your peril.

Granted, it's Ultra Premium.

The new Grants 25 Year Old Ultra Premium Blend is soon to be launched (June 2010) with “just over 2,000” bottles available in the “world’s most prestigious airports” before hitting selected specialist retailers in 2011. We’ve no idea where these prestigious aerodromes are but we’re guessing Ryanair doesn’t fly there. That, along with the list price (£145 a bottle) very much rules us out, here at Caskstrength.net HQ from buying a bottle. No worries however as a wee sample has popped through our letter box, saving us having to buy that return flight to Narnia or Hogwarts or Wherever and risk shoplifting a bottle from World Of Whiskies...

We’ve only reviewed one Grants blend before, their awful Ale Cask bottling but this is a whole different beast; an Ultra! Premium! Blend!

Whoop-de-do!

Now, when I hear a phrase such as Ultra! Premium! Blend!, I ponder this old proverb:

“If you’re drinking a blend in the forest and no marketing person is there to tell you it’s an Ultra! Premium! Blend!, is it still an Ultra! Premium! Blend! ?”

With no guidelines I can find on the subject (unlike that for Pure Malt or Single Malt or Blended Malt), I’m always intrigued as to what the difference is between a Blend, a Premium Blend and an Ultra Premium Blend. According to Grant’s, this 25 Year Old Ultra Premium Blend contains 25 whiskies from every single region of Scotland including some of the first ever grain whisky distilled at Girvan in 1963. Not a bad start...

The placing of this product is deliberate; Ultra Premium Blend, rare whiskies, price point in excess of a hundred and twenty quid... remind you of anything? Even the packaging: heavyweight, dark navy blue card and gold embossed logos... there seems to be a certain amount of “inspiration” drawn from the Johnnie Walker Blue Label, here!

It kinda reminds me of the same level of “inspiration” that White Lies took from Editors who took from Joy Division, for their album covers:

Luckily, hidden somewhere at the back of the caskstrength.net cabinet is bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label with about an inch left in the bottom, nabbed from a wealthy but slightly misguided friend’s party earlier in the year. These two blends may contain rare and unusual whiskies, but what is certainly true is that they are backed by some Ultra Premium marketing. Time to strip that all away, as I feel a blind taste test coming on....:

Nose:

Glass A (tall glass): Grapefruit, grass and grist. There is some lemon and lime, unripe Kiwi fruit and hint of smoke. Peanut oil. Over time, the smoke develops greater prominence.

Glass B (short glass): Cereal (digestive biscuit), the same grass and grist but with some addition of fruits (melon and mango). A lot less smoke, virtually none, but heather and vanillas come through instead. With time, the mango notes increase.

Palate:

Glass A: Cereal, bitter liquorice, salt and brown bread toast (unbuttered). There are some flavours that are struggling to get though: Orange wants to appear, but is smothered by the liquorice. Strong and spicy; hints of cinnamon and fennel seeds. This isn’t at all subtle.

Glass B: There seems to be a greater energy to this, something I would equate to having a fairly decent slug of grain over malt, but that serves to enhance a palate with lemons and limes (oddly, as in the nose from Glass A) and some lovely fiery ginger (think Old Jamaica Ginger Beer). Mint and sugar (like a strong mojito made with dark rum). Sweet, well balanced and fruity.

Finish:

Glass A: A good length with nice hints of warming spice, oak and cinnamon. But the fennel seed notes overpower these soft spices to leave a sharp bitterness which lets the whole structure down.

Glass B: A real fizzle which dies down pretty quickly and leaves lovely fruit notes of the initial mango, that ginger again but now some passion fruit and strawberry. Any sherry casking in this blend has really held back until the depths of the finish where it becomes quite plumy and really lip-smacking. The ginger really keeps sailing into the distance.

Overall:

Well! For me the two start neck and neck on the nose but with some time in glass, A becomes much smokier while B develops some exotic fruits. A is all spice and smoke and B is all grass and fruit. On the palate we see Glass B really start to pull away. Glass A feels slightly tired- I bought a Chelsea bun last week and while the individual flavours were all there (spices and sugars), it was a touch dry and became a chore to finish. Glass A had some of these aspect to it. Glass B had a greater energy (possibly from a higher grain content?) and the ginger sweetness appeals to me more than the slightly tired spices of Glass A. But it’s the finish that sees Glass B really hammer nails into the coffin of Glass A. Yes, with A there are some warming, soft spices but there is an overriding bitterness that really lets it down, where as Glass B develops even further into over-ripe, squashy red fruits, mango and the ginger.

In summary, I’d hesitate to call a winner as I wouldn’t spend, give or take £145 on either of these blends. I’d much rather buy a single malt of some description. However there is a clear winner for me and that’s the enhanced fruity nature of Glass B. More energy, more life and more complexity.

Time to find out which is which:

Glass A: Johnnie Walker Blue Label

Glass B: Grants 25 Year Old Ultra Premium Blend