Johnnie Walker is one of the most iconic whisky brands in the world. With its unique square bottle, and the labels tilted off-center, the company has created a strong brand image and its spirit is considered by many to be the quintessential Scottish whisky. The company has been operating since 1820, and has grown steadily to become one of the most important Scottish whisky brands in the world today.
According to my research, Johnnie Walker Black Label has undergone some changes since I published my last review in 2011. At that time it was advertised as containing up to 40 premium grain and malt whiskies. Today (December 2020) the Johnnie Walker Website has this to say about its iconic blend:
Johnnie Walker Black Label is a smooth and beautifully balanced whisky with a distinctive smoky flavour, expertly crafted using an unrivalled selection of Single Malts and Grains each aged for at least 12 years.
All of the whiskies in the Black Label blend are still aged at least 12 years, however references to the number of whiskies which are used to created the blend are no longer found. As well a more recent tasting of the blend seems to indicate to me that some of the richness and depth which I formerly associated with the blend has been lost. This means a fresh review is probably appropriate.
And here is a link to that review:
Review: Johnnie Walker Black Label
Please enjoy this review which continues my walk through the Johnnie Walker ladder of whiskies.
Chimo!








Destilerías Arehucas traces its origin to August 9, 1884 when La Fábrica
This year I am hoping to continue update many of my tequila reviews, improving my suggested cocktails and where necessary editting my tasting notes and scores to be consistent with any changes which may have occurred that have affected the taste and quality of the agave spirit since my last review. I will also be adding new reviews to broaden the tequila category upon my website. Today I am looking at
Compass Distillers is located in Halifax Nova Scotia, where Graham, Josh, and David began their distilling journey with a belief that they could create world-class spirits locally. Their artisan Craft Spirits are not imported, they are not blended with generic ingredients, nor are they pumped out of a factory; rather, they are made from scratch, with locally sourced ingredients.
The Romero Distillery produces a full line-up of rum and rum-like spirits, including an Amber, a Spiced and a Dark Rum, as well as a similar line of what they call Sugar Cane Spirit which I have learned is aged with what Romero Distilling calls an accelerated maturation process. The spirit cannot be called rum in Canada as it has not spent the minimum of one year in small oak as per Canadian law and thus cannot be called rum. (In the USA there is no such regulation concerning oak aging for rum and Romero’s Cane Spirits could properly be called rum south of our border.)