On 27 October, after Western Province beat the Sharks, we gathered to begin our Johnnie Walker tasting night. Despite the cold weather with unseasonal wind and rain, 8 of us braved the outdoors to sit down and begin enjoying one of the world's most popular blends.
After a brief introduction to Johnnie Walker, the history and the story of how it all began, Richard led us in a tasting. As this was our first official tasting, we also learnt the recommended way to taste whisky.
Our personal notes from the tasting:
Red Label - vanilla is strong on the nose, definite smoky undertone and a lingering spice.
Black Label - In terms of colour, more gold than the red, and the nose is distinctly citrus. Picked up a sherry flavour along with a long smoky finish
Green Label - The smokiness of the Green is lighter, the entire whisky just softer. Floral notes on the nose.
Platinum - Sweeter than the rest of the range. A sublte smoky flavour with hints of "Christmas"
Swing - Darker in colour and very similar to a bourbon. A sherry flavour is stronger than the Johnnie Walker distinct smokiness.
What was interesting to note was the distinctive smoky flavour that carries through all the Johnnie Walker whiskies. The history of the bottle design and label arrangement was interesting. By contract, the Swing bottle caused a lot of discussion (and was played with). The bottle is able to rock back and forth - designed to be enjoyed on a ship!
Interesting was going back to Red Label after enjoying the entire range. It was concluded that you definitely cannot go back after having tried Green & Platinum.
The favourites?
Red Label remains a classic and Black Label will always be enjoyed. Swing was not very popular. As for the most populat whisky? It's a tie between Green and Platinum.
This post and the event are in no way affiliated to Johnnie Walker. The opinions are our own and we purchased the whisky with our own money.
