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Josh Peters · · 19 Comments
Johnnie Walker is synonymous with scotch. Walk into an average bar, order “a scotch”, and that’s what you’re going to get. At most open bars, weddings, work events and the like they have this; The Johnnie Walker Black. One step up from the red, but miles ahead from it’s bottom shelf brother.
A blend of grain alcohol and various single malts that are at least 12 years old, the Johhnie Walker Black is a big improvement over it’s younger red brother. It has a more matured and rounded flavor but to me it’s still a bit unbalanced with the grain alcohol and the sweetness taking up too much room and the undertones of malt and smoke don’t get nearly enough of the dance floor.
Overall it’s not bad. It’s not the world’s greatest blended Scotch and for me it’s not a daily drinker, but it’s pretty good. It’s tasty, has decent depth and it’s also cheap enough to keep on hand for co*cktails, long drinks or for even having on the rocks. In fact, on the rocks is my favorite way to drink Johnnie Walker Black. A bit of ice seems to pull out more of the sweet and smoky character while reining in some of the grain alcohol notes making it quite a pleasant dram.
ABV: 40%
Price: $30
Blender: John Walker & Sons
EYE
Dark copper
NOSE
The first thing I noticed was grain alcohol, but it quickly gave to some warm smoke, red licorice, caramel and some grapey notes with underlying notes of honey and some other ambiguous sweetness.
TASTE
Here the smoke comes up a bit more but it quickly dies out and gives way to caramel syrup, green citrus, light fruit, red licorice, artificial sweetener, oak and grape mixed with honey and a sherry like sweetness.
FEEL
A bit gritty and grainy but still mellow and drinkable.
FINISH
Caramel, malt, smoke and wood combine for a long finish that rapidly fades to grain alcohol.
SCORE: 87/100
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19 Comments
Allan Boyd September 21, 2022
G’day Josh,
Local supplier had a decent price reduction on this… below $50 Aus.
A workmate who has got into whiskies lashed out and grabbed the JWB -sherry finish and I was contemplating buying the std black and do a comparison .
the more I thought about it … It brought back memories of the third bottle a couple of years ago.
To me, it’d become quite thin compared to the earlier ones… I don’t want to sound snobish,,,,but maybe I’d outgrown it. Does that sound silly??AL
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Josh Peters October 15, 2022
It doesn’t sound silly at all Allan! I just finished moving from LA to DC and to celebrate I bought a bottle of GLenfiddich 18 (on sale for $80) and after pouring I stared at the glass wondering the same thing. Had the whisky gotten THIS bad or am I more of a snob now. Because it was very much not good.
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Kevin B. January 22, 2022
(4)
I get a bottle of scotch every year for my birthday; It’s either this or a comparably priced single malt. It’s smokey and smooth, just the way I prefer on a cold January night.
Josh Peters January 24, 2022
That’s a great tradition Kevin. Cheers!
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Mahmoud Ali March 7, 2021
Hi Kam Bhathal, if you’re in Calgary, and your bottle of spirit or wine is flawed then you can return it to the retailer. Writing to Johnnie Walker is not the way to go because they are not responsible for poor handling or storage once out of their hands. Remember, in Alberta, AGLC rules require that retailers accept returns, and retailers, in turn are also allowed to make returns. Many stores try not to accept returns because the process for them to be refunded for their returns involves bureaucracy and takes time.
By the way, you don’t mention if the scotch itself tasted flawed. The residue along the side of the bottle suggests to me that it had been poorly stored on its side, perhaps for a long time on an upper shelf. I’ve had single malts with residue but they were old bottles, more recently a 1993 Glenlossie bottled in 2004, so a 10 year old that had been in bottle for 16 years.
Cheers ………. Mahmoud. Ali
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Eric February 21, 2021
I enjoy JW Black. I agree completely with your rating of an 87; a solid dram. .
I like it neat and on the rocks mostly. In the summertime, I like it with club soda.You should review Buchanan’s 12. I like that scotch.
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Josh Peters April 1, 2021
I have it in the queue, at some point it will make a showing :)
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Kam Bhathal December 22, 2020
Poor Customer Service
(1)
HI Josh
I have been a Black Label fan for many decades. However, recently, I had an adverse experience which forced me to switch from Johnnie Walker to Glenfiddich. I bought a 1.75L bottle of Black Label form a well known liquor store in Calgary. On consuming a couple of drinks I noticed a suspicious looking residue starting near the lid down to the body of the bottle. I sent pictures to Johnnie Walker customer service, asking for advice. They promised a response within 24 However, my repeated requests for clarification have gone unanswered. I am highly disappointed at this lack of response from JW. Myself and my drinking buddies have switched to Glenfiddich 12 years old, which I find much smoother and satisfying. So Long Johnnie Walker! RIP! Has anybody else had similar experience with Johnnie Walker customer service? Would be interesting to know. Perhaps they think they are too big to care!Reply
Josh Peters December 22, 2020
Wow, that sucks. I’m so sorry to hear that, but the Fiddich 12 is a great replacement. cheers Kam!
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John Korhely October 13, 2020
I tried this cause the the price of single malts has skyrocketed around me. (Something to do with tariffs.). At first, I was kind of disappointed. I felt like it was just smoke and a pretty basic basic scotch. After a couple glasses (on different night!!) I’ve really come around. Took me awhile to uncover some of the notes I like about it. (Mainly berries and red licorice). I wouldn’t but it at the same price as Arbeg or Laphroaig, But since it’s current $20 cheaper in Ohio., I will definitely buy another bottle.
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Josh Peters November 3, 2020
Nice, if you find any bottles of the Double Black sitting around give it a try. It was only $5-$10 more when it was around and it packed a bit more flavor. Cheers John!
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Jeremy July 26, 2019
Best shortcut to scotch!
(5)
I liken whiskey to coffee… That is, when you first start drinking it, you like it any way as long as it had lots of cream and sugar. You need the cream and sugar to make it drinkable but then after while you begin to appreciate the coffee for what it is, and where it comes from, and all the different flavors that are imparted from where it was grown to how dark it was roasted. I feel the same about whiskey. First I could not stand scotch…and now… I don’t want to drink anything else. Everything else tastes too sweet and therefore too sweetened or creamed to taste the real flavors. I feel I might be becoming a scotch drinker. And perhaps maturing in my whisky journey and palate. Johnny walker black was the first Scotch that gave me hope that I might like scotch someday. It’s not the best scotch. But certainly the best for beginners. And I highly recommend it. Skip everything else and start with JW BLACK.
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Josh Peters July 30, 2019
Love the perspective, thanks for sharing Jeremy. On a personal note, I agree it’s a decent “gateway Scotch”. It’s one of the whiskies that got me to like the peaty stuff. I tried diving right in to Laphroaig and it was overwhelming. So I tried the lighter stuff, JWB being one of them, and it helped me get acquainted with the smoky side of whisky and now I love peat in all forms and strengths.
Cheers man!
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JohnT March 19, 2018
I’m a bourbon drinker of Scottish heritage trying to learn about and appreciate Scotch Whisky. Thanks to your recommendation I tried the JWB and really like it! Not overloaded with peat smoke, but enough to remind you “Hey this isn’t your usual Wild Turkey! Nice for a change.” So now the whiskey/whisky shelf will have a bottle of this, Glenmorangie, and Glenlivet along with a few bourbons and a rye. Thanks for opening the door to a new experience!
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Freddy August 27, 2015
Not bad, but for an inexpensive blend I prefer Monkey Shoulder (although MS I believe is a ‘vatted’ malt).
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Tether August 27, 2015
You say you like Monkey Shoulder more but gave it a rating of 86. JW black scored a higher rating at 87, but you like Monkey Shoulder more?
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Josh Peters September 1, 2015
the JW Black review was from before I revamped my scoring and solidified some things. If I were to rescore it under the new layout & conditions I’ve dialed in it would likely be an 85.
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Lex April 23, 2015
I have come to feel like this is actually a pretty bad scotch. Not that I won’t drink it, but the acrid grainy thing it has going on is just too much. It’s great on the first sip, and deteriorates from there. What are the blends in this range that you feel are better?
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Josh Peters April 23, 2015
I like Monkey Shoulder more and the Cutty Sark Prohibition more. Even the lower end Compass Boxes are really good. As far as mass produced blends… unfortunately this really is the top of the ones I’ve tried IMHO.
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