Whiskeytemple_Vladimir 
„Keep Tasting!“
Оценка: 87/100.
П.С. Редакция от лятото на 2016г.: Johnnie Walker 15 y.o. направи своя повторен дебют в началото на 2016г., като по непотвърдени слухове в България се очаква от есента.
Johnnie Walker 15 y.o. blended malt whisky
„Keep Tasting!“
That’s right, folks, it’s time to present you the first whisky review dedicated to the colossus brand ‘Johnnie Walker’. In the following lines I’ll present you not just any product of the wide range of the brand, but a distillate which is already discontinued and acquired almost mythical status – this is Johnnie Walker 15 y.o. blended /pure, vatted/ malt whisky, known to us like „Green Jonnie“ or Johnnie Walker Green Label. And while the beautiful memory of my visit to snowy Tryavna is still fresh, during which trip I managed to find a bottle of the rare distillate, I decided to introduce to you my impressions.
Before I start with the essential writing, I should mention that the Johnnie Walker brand is giant. Probably the most famous whisky, not only among the ranks of Diageo, but in general. Popularity and quality do not always walk hand in hand, so I do not use them as synonyms. As I guess there is no one who hasn’t heard of brands like Mercedes and Adidas, so I think such reasoning concerns and Johnnie Walker brand, „walked“ through the centuries to get to us. What can be said about the constantly traveling gentleman? In summary, of course.
The foundations of the brand were laid in the early years of the 19th century by John „Johnnie“ Walker, who started to offer whisky in his grocery store in Ayrshire, Scotland. The whisky which he offered was blend, a mixture of whiskies, and quickly gained popularity. But only after his death in the late 60’s of the 19th century, the brand gained power, which moves it and nowadays. Its glory is associated with the enthusiastic for achieving success son and grandson of Johnnie Walker, respectively Alexander Walker and Alexander Walker II, which turned the adventurous venture of its predecessor into a successful business. And to illustrate what the son, Alexander, has done with the company and the distribution of whisky, I’ll mention that under Johnnie, the firm’s income from sales varied around 9%, and in the last years of Alexander this percent had increased to 90%. In 1865, the son and grandson produced their first blend – Walker`s Old Highland. In 1870, they introduced the familiar shape of the bottle, which allows easy transportation and resistance to breakage. Also changed the layout of the label – it was inclined at an angle of 24 degrees, and thus managed to accomodate more information on the front part of the bottle. In the early 20th century was introduced a new innovation – the colour indication of the different types of whisky. In 1908, on the label of the bottles appeared and the name of the founder – Johnnie Walker. At that time was introduced and the well-known ‘striding man’, became a symbol of the eternal pursuit of development and improvement. In 1909 was presented the whisky we know as Johnnie Walker Red label, existed previously like Walker`s Spesial Old Highland Red Label. It was created as a whisky for blending with soda water. During World War II, production stopped. In 1932, Johnnie Walker Swing was launched on the market, closed in a different shaped bottle, which merrily swayed to the rhythm of the waves of the luxury ocean liners. However, it was destined to acquire more fame after 1945. The company changed several owners before the current one, namely the leader in the alcohol industry – Diageo, formed as a result of the merging of the former owners from Guinness and Grand Metropolitan.
And now let’s focus on the Johnnie Walker Green Label. This whisky is a blend, i.e a mixture or combination, but not between grain whisky and malt whisky /barley/, but only between four malt whiskies of the Diageo’s line – Caol Ila, Talisker, Linkwood and Cragganmore, each of which is at least 15 years old. The alcohol content is 43% ABV. And as I mentioned, that its production was suspended, it is appropriate to clarify, that small batches of it still be marketed for the needs of the Asian traders.
What did I found? Aroma – light peat /a note of „pharmacy“/, fruits, „smoked“ pear, sweetness, honey, marmalade, caramel, vanilla, leather, herbal tea and butter notes. Taste – dry, more peat, pepperness and a touch of ginger, slight sweetness. Finish – medium in length. „Toasted slice of bread“, honey, spicy, peat, dried fruits and more palpable sweetness, that comes within a few minutes. Assessment: 87/100.
In summary: I liked it. I would try it again and in a more relaxed atmosphere. The middle of the lobby is probably not the most appropriate place for a full exploration of the whisky. The price of Johnnie Walker Green Label is conditional – once low, now is up to values of 130 lv. and up, if it can be found.
And before I finish the article, something of a different matter. Thanks to a friend, I got a beautiful peaty beast – Ardbeg 10 y.o. single malt whisky. I got it in wintry Tryavna, and since I have not yet opened it, I offer you the beautiful photo I took.
Cheers, my friends! 🙂
