Johnnie Walker Black Label: Review

The thinking man’s Jack Daniel’s

Johnnie Walker Black Label is as much a status as it is a drink. Like the other famous black labelled whisky Jack Daniels, it too enjoys something of a bad boy image. But whilst Jack is for rockers, stoners and students – Johnnie finds itself in the company of journalists, political leaders and left-wing movie stars.

“Johnnie Walker Black, breakfast of champions, accept no substitutes” – that’s how author, journalist, atheist and all round contrarian raconteur Christopher Hitchens describes his preferred poison in a Q&A following his 2009 talk on the Axis of Evil (full lecture available on Fora TV).

Regarded by many as the best blended whisky in the world, Johnnie Walker’s signature Black Label is a blend of at least 40 whiskies aged a minimum of 12 years. It’s the most successful variation on their colour based theme that includes red, green, gold and the highly coveted Blue Label (circa £130 a bottle).

Hitch’s logic

Hitchens has rightly pointed out that Johnnie Walker is one of the most accessible whiskies in some of the most inaccessible places in the world. A favourite drink of the Palestinian authority, Saddam Hussein’s now disbanded Ba’ath Party and Colonel Gaddafi’s favourite tipple when he’s not being toppled.

At home with Christopher Hitchens. Spot the Red Label on the table.

According to Hitchen’s, Black Label’s availability in large parts of the Middle East is why he sticks to the blended stuff, even though I’m sure his finances would permit him a bottle or two of 1968 Macallan. Hitch’s logic is sound – don’t get too comfortable drinking fancy single malts. One must acquire the taste for blended, especially if one intends to frequent Beirut, Iraq or Tripoli for example. It’s like taking coffee with sugar – not a problem till you’re somewhere that’s out of the sweet stuff.

Sean Penn drinks to impress

Sean Penn also enjoys a slug or two. Black label makes a fantastic cameo in his epic account of travelling to South America (with none other than Christopher Hitchens) to interview Hugo Chavez and Raul Castro. Penn recounts his attempts to impress two South African contractors in a Venezuelan side street basement bar. He writes

“I ordered Johnny (sic) Walker Black. Pathetically I might have wanted to be one of the boys for a moment. They ordered a bubbly water a piece, and it was on. I was Al Capone, motherfucker, and they were a pair of Perrier pansy John Wayne’s.”

So even someone as cool as Sean Penn admits that he drinks Johnnie Walker as much for its image as its taste.

Sean Penn meets Hugo Chavez. Could it be Johnnie Walker in Hugo and Hitchens' cups?

Who drinks it?

Black Label’s availability in the Middle East has made it the go-to drink for journos, dictators, rich businessmen, Hollywood movie stars and the military.

Cool Rating: 4½ out of 5

You’ll want to drink Johnnie Walker Black Label immediately after watching their amazing commercial. Actor  Robert Carlyle walks through the Scottish mountains whilst talking us through the incredible history of Johnnie Walker.

The Look

Iconic: Johnnie Walker Black Label

The bottle is square. Originally an ergonomic decision to help with packing and avoiding breakages. The real attention grabber is the label set at 24 degrees across the bottle to allow for a larger font size. Instantly recognisable, the look of the Johnnie Walker bottles is as iconic as Jack Daniel’s.

Blade Runner & Black Label

As well as being name-dropped by the rich & famous – Johnnie Walker Black has made a number of notable appearances in movies & TV over the years. Its starring role was arguably in Ridley Scott’s 1982 sci-fi masterpiece, Blade Runner where a special futuristic Art Deco style bottle was made for the movie.

Iconic custom made bottles for the movie Blade Runner

 

Johnnie Walker Red Label made its way into an episode of Mad Men and recently Christina Hendricks was snapped at a secret Johnnie Walker tasting.

Good enough for Gekko

Johnny Walker also recently received a huge plug in Oliver Stone’s financial movie sequel, Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps. As well as a bottle of Black Label showing up in several scenes as Gordon’s regular drink – Shia LeBeouf’s character presents Chinese businessmen with a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label in an attempt to sweeten a multi billion dollar deal.

Gordon Gekko nurses a Johnnie Walker in Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps

Tasting Notes

We’ve established that if you drink Johnnie Walker Black Label you will either be transformed into a tough war journalist, smouldering leading man or high-flying Chinese businessman, but what does it actually taste like?

{On the nose}

A faint hint of peat.  Vaguely medicinal. Smokey sweet.

{Taste}

Quite mild. The taste is not strong but those peaty notes are present. There are hints of spice and vanilla in there too.

{Finish}

There is very little heat. No burn. A short finish with a little spice.

Conclusion

Unlike many blends which leave your throat practically on fire & choking for a glass of tap water, Johnnie Walker Black Label leaves you immediately ready for another sip. Those peat & spice notes deliciously linger if savoured a moment and as blended whisky goes, it really is up there.

The Peat Meter

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