Malt – Tweet Drams

Moving along with my Johnnie Walker series, we have the fan-favorite Green Label. Most notable, it’s labeled as a blended malt, as opposed to a blended Scotch containing grain whisky. Is the $55 Johnnie Walker Green worth the small premium over Black? We shall see.

Pour: Johnnie Walker Green Label
Proof: 86
Age: 15 years
Color: light amber
Nose: glazed apple, smoky citrus, hints of floral spice
Taste: charred melon, classic vanilla syrup, baked pear
Finish: moderate length w/ toasted caramel, oak, sweet earthy spice

Overall: While I’m uncertain any Johnnie Walker expression could dethrone Black as my personal favorite, the Green definitely warrants cause for pause. Ultimately, Green is an elegant whisky, rich in flavor and surprising complexity to boot. Quite satisfactory.

Rating: Go green.

‘Tis Burns Night all ye ladies and gents, and I fancy myself a wee dram; Not a bourbon or rye, nor libation with ice, but a malt from a land known as Islay.

‘Tis said that a Scotch gets finer with age, I can see why a bloke might agree; Yet, ten years is enough with its sweet waft of smoke – O’, my heart it beats fondly for Ardbeg.

Pour: Ardbeg Ten Year Old Islay Single Malt Scotch
Proof: 92
Age: ten years
Color: vegetable oil
Nose: enticing smoke, singed honeydew melon, caramel-pear
Taste: medicinal fabric, sweet & salty wafer, vanilla spice
Finish: long & complex w/ lingering peat, seawood, faint honey

Overall: You can have your fancy, hyper-aged single malts – your blue-label blends and high-dollar rarities. For me, there is one Scotch conquering all. Affordable, available, and juxtaposed with coastal elegance and fury, ‘tis Ardbeg Ten. Sláinte.

Rating: Perfect ten.