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Johnnie Walker Blue Label is put forward as the epitome of sophistication; you see it in First Class on airplanes and in movies and TV when the director wants to show of wealth, breeding, taste. It is the bottle of choice more often than not in the TV show 'Billions', but if I had that kind of money I'd be no more likely to drink The Blue Label than a bottle of Glenfiddich 12 yr Old.
Firstly of all Johnnie Walker Blue Label is a 'Blended Whisky', which tends to subdue interest and sophistication on the palate; secondly it's bottled at 40% ABV and as such it is chill filtered; thirdly it's a Non Age Statement Whisky so you're left wondering how old the majority of the whisky in the bottle actually is. Johnnie Walker is advertised as containing some of the rarest whisky's in Scotland; this makes me chuckle too myself as if the whisky's were so rare then how come they produce so damn much Blue Label?! It reminds me of the vast increases in price that the Diageo Port Ellen's have been marketed at in the last few years. If stocks of Port Ellen are so scarce that they justify this kind of ridiculous price then how come they are able to find a few more casks every single year?!
None of that would of course ultimately matter if the quality of the product was high; as a serious whisky drinker however I was shocked when I drank The Blue Label at how unbelievably bland it was. This is a whisky that has been refined to be exceptionally smooth; I mean to a ridiculous level, no trace of prickliness in the mouth at all. However all that really is on the palate is a vague, richly sweet whisky style taste. I've seen people list various flavours and say this is an exceptional whisky. It just isn't though; it's as simple as that. If you enjoy Johnnie Walker Blue Label then fine; however everyone I've ever spoken to who has tried it; and these have all been people who also drink seriously good whisky's, agree with me. To me frankly, this doesn't really taste like whisky at all; it's more like a whisky flavoured liquor, it's been created for this ridiculously smooth experience rather than anything approaching real flavour. Is it luxurious though? Well I'm not so sure about that either as to me a luxurious whisky would be packed with flavour. I'm sure you could explore the flavours in the bottle and get a little more separation out of it; but frankly I just couldn't be bothered, it seemed the very definition of futility.
Ultimately therefore I view Johnnie Walker Blue Label as just that; a label like Armani, Gucci, Hugo Boss, whatever that people who don't like whisky; but like the idea of whisky can drink with their ice spheres. The best Johnnie Walker's; i.e the ones with actual flavour are The Double Black and The 15 yr Old 'Blended Malt Whisky' Green Label. These shades of Johnnie Walker are available for £30 and £40 respectively; and that will leave enough money in reserve for a proper whisky like the BenRiach 20 which is also rich and smooth; but also combines subtle flavours with great big sherried fruits and rich vanillin's.
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