Johnnie Walker Black Label Islay Origin

N: Instant, but gentle, peat with just the slightest iodine. Sweetness from a light orange oil and some generic sherry influence. A vaguely toffee fullness to this nose is combined with a faintest tar. P: Ashy, really ashy, with peppery zing. This is both full but also slightly grainy (ashy again) in texture with some mild leather and perhaps something of a thin watery honey. Not as good as the nose promised but the simple profile here gets delivered well. F: Short-medium. Ash turns to a soft smoke and is delivered with some of the toffee from the nose. There is a slight, almost lemony sweetness as well. I’ve only had one Caol Ila before (and that was in 2016) but I seem to recall lemon there. Perhaps I’m imaging it, does Caol Ila deliver lemon? The final parting gift of this finish is some pleasant maltiness. This was an interesting blend. The nose and finish were delightful but the palate let the overall expression down. Not that the palate was bad, but it was a little boring. The flavours that were there were very much en point but I found my self wanting to stick with the nose and then rush to the finish. I don’t actually think I’ve ever had the regular JW Black but the Double Black is a good comparison point. I haven’t had JWDB in some time but from what I recall the honey and BBQ are better developed and hold interest on the palate a lot more than this Islay Origins Black Label. That said I am taken by the nose and finish here. Thats a 2:1 win for the Islay Origins. I am told by the great @cascode that generously shared this dram with me that this was available for AUD$70 with a crazy offer of AUD$58 at one point. I don’t even know where to find this in Australia, it seems the great one bought all of the Australian allocation. A great buy at AUD$70 and a freaking steal for less than $60 if you see it. (I have no rocks from Islay so instead this evenings pour is pictured here with a classic Scottish lithology; the 427 million year old Ballachullish Granite from Argyllshire in the Southwest Highlands. A fantastic piece of the Caledonian Orogeny) Distiller whisky taste #94

Nose: Immediately peaty, maritime and with that signature note of sherried-asphalt that proudly shouts "Lagavulin". There is a sweet orange and stewed fruit presence that has excellent density – you’d almost think there was a PX cask involved. A very good nose that develops with time. Palate: Rich and full arrival, dried fruits, thick ashy smoke. The development is limited and you could be hard-hearted and call this two dimensional, but what is there delivers 100%. The texture is mouth-coating and heavy. Finish: Medium. Sooty smoke, a note of salted toffee and some vague fruity notes in the aftertaste. Warming and satisfying, you can taste barley sugar in the lingering aftertaste. On the box it says this contains a “variety of Islay whiskies with Lagavulin and Caol Ila at its heart”, but it's hard to see how it could be otherwise – Diageo only owns two Islay distilleries so guess what is in here? This is a good blended malt crafted with the touch of a master. Forget the fact that it is limited in depth, this is a showcase for maritime smokiness against a buttery, creamy background. Not long ago Diageo released the Centenary Blend which was an excellent scotch, but somewhat inaccessible for less experienced whisky drinkers and very expensive at around AUD$100. This, however, is the everyday smoky blended malt par excellence. It’s way better than contemporary Black Label (which has fallen from grace in the last few years) and more elegant than Double Black, both of which are blended scotches, of course. At AUD$70 it is about 50% more than Black Label and more than half-way in price between Black Label and Green Label. However as it is a blended malt the price is fair. Is it Green Label Lite? No, it has a different character. It's very approachable and satisfying, enjoyable as a sipping dram, and too good to dilute as a mixer. I think I’ll buy a second bottle while it is available on special. Great value and recommended. “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)

Incredibly for me to say, it has been a long time since i last tasted a Johnnie Walker. I have seen this new travel retail expressions, which are basically blends from specific scottish regions. Of course if i had the chance i was going to pick the Islay one. Bottled at 40%abv. On the nose, your standard nice peaty aroma. Prunes, ashes and smokey profiles. Cotton socks (the ones with the gray colored area for the toes). A rancid vanilla like the one you smell on a cake that has been on the fridge, that is going to go bad the next day, but it is still edible, on its last day. Pepper and salt. On the palate, it is fairly good. Vanilla cake, pepper, salty. It is actually very light for a peaty whisky. Sawdust Aftertaste had a nice peatiness but way too short. Ashy and salty. Sawdust is delivered in a nice way.  Overall, i can understand that JW went super safe on this one, since Islay's profiles can be off putting for some people, and i can also understand this blend as an entry to peated drams. Not bad, not oustanding, very drinkable, my score for it is 80 over 100.

The smell, as expected, reveals the peaty and marine soul of the whisky, with barbecue smoke and salt. The smoke is actually quite light, leaving plenty of room for fruity notes with lemon zest and a spicy touch. The palate becomes more fleshy and hard, very ashy, with the marine soul to act as a counterpart together with citrus and cloves. Smoking tends to prevail, offering very little evolution. The finish is medium long, of used ashtray, salt and orange. Wanting to represent Islay, obviously, they chose the simplest and most direct route, with a whisky full of smoke and seaworthiness that pushes on the two most characteristic aspects without giving much else. On the other hand, for such an economic and at the same time "limited" edition, we could not have expected much more. Of course, at this point for the same price it is better to take one of the base malts of the blend...

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 20/03/2022 İstanbul Burun: Yoğun turba, is ve iyot aromalarına yanık plastik kokuları eşlik ediyor. İsli ve ilaçsı kokular baskın. Kadehin havalanmasıyla ilaçsı deniz havası kokuları aldım. Damak: İsli, tuzlu ve baharatlı tatlar oldukça belirgin. Tuz ve baharat, isin biraz daha önünde diyebilirim. Özellikle baharat fazlasıyla baskın. Buna rağmen oldukça kolay içimli bir yapıda. Çok az da olsa yosun ve yeşil limon esintisi var. Bitiş: Tuz, baharat ve isli tatlar ile orta uzunlukta, sıcak bir bitiş. Genel: Islay Origin, burunda bir Islay maltını aratmayacak kadar turbalı, damakta ise şaşırtıcı derecede kolay içimli bir ekspresyon olmuş. Özellikle Caol Ila etkisini fazlasıyla hissettiğimi söyleyebilirim. 88/100

Nose: Slightly medicinal, iodinated. Towards the end a slight citrus tone. Reminds me of a young-aged, untamed Islay Single Malt (Ardbeg 5 y.o Wee Beastie, or Lagavulin 8 y.o) Palate: Very peppery. Can really taste the peppery ashiness of the Caol Ila component in this blend. Slight sweetness of berries with lingering smoke with meats - the Lagavulin touch here. Finish: Short-lived hit of smoke, straight forward. Not a very complex dram. Could taste the Caol Ila and Lagavulin components of this blend but not the best marriage of distilleries. Not a "Peat Monster" but for a blend it is not the worst.