🥃Review #8: Johnnie Walker Black Label Blended Scotch Whiskey

Johnnie Walker Black Label sits in front of a tile backsplash

Johnnie Walker Black Label is one of the best selling Scotch Whisky varietals produced by Diageo. The brand was established in 1820 by grocer John Walker with his son Alexander Walker and his grandson Alex Walker II being responsible for establishing the legacy of this brand. Black label is a middle tier offering, a step up from Red Label. Johnnie Walker markets both of these as cocktail whisky though you will see some promos with Black Label on the rocks as shown on their manufacturer page.

🛒Sourced: Gifted - 32.99 at Total Wine

🧪Proof: 80, 40%

📚Background: Blended from whiskies aged a minimum of 12 years, the exact single malts in Johnnie Walker Black have changed over time. Whisky from Diageo's four corners of Scotland are represented in this bottle, including Clynelish in the Highlands, Cardhu on Speyside, malt from Glenknichie, and smoke flavors from Coal Ila.

👃Nose: Light & mild with element of of citrus, white pepper, winter spice, and some sweet malt/vanilla

😜Palate: Easy drinking, maybe a little thin on the palate, smokier than the nose would suggest but there is also lots of cereal malt sweetness and the citrus is still intact on the finish. In the middle, you may be able to find some orchard fruit flavors though in my experience the prevalence of this varies year to year. Very smooth.

🔍 Comparison: Compared to red label this is a massive upgrade. I would step down to Famous Grouse for cocktails, but Black Label is a good threshold for sipping scotch. Around this price point I also like the Dewar's 12yr or value maxing Dewar's white label for a 1.75L at the same cost, though you definitely lose some smoke flavor with those options. Within the Walker family, Green label is my overall pick for sipping neat or on the rocks for the greater flavor nuance, but it does jump you to the mid fifty dollar range. If you drink Islay single malts, skip this bottle for Johnnie Walker Double Black which benefits from a larger Islay proportion and greater degree of barrel char.

🏆 Overall: 5.75/10 - Average - I'm never mad to have a pour of black label. It's relatively consistent even if there are some swings over time. Diageo does a good job of building a somewhat nuanced and easy drinking bottle with an approachable level of Smoke character. Bummed this bottle off my dad as he prefers sweeter scotches. There's nothing super distinctive about this bottle, but it gets the job done well for a daily dram.

💵Would buy again? Sure, if the price is right

⚖️Rating Scale:

1 Undrinkable

2 Bad

3 Poor

4 Below Average

5 Average

6 Above Average

7 Very Good

8 Great

9 Excellent

10 Perfect

🥃Review #15 Costco's Kirkland Small Batch Bourbon

Costco's liquor store is a thing of beauty. While not every Kirkland edition is a hit, there are enough standouts on a fun per dollar ratio to always merit a look. Almost all of the house brands are less than $30, and I'm always excited to take a long shot when the new seasonal releases come around. 📚 Background: Distilled by Barton 1792 in Bardstown Kentucky, Kirkland Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey hits the shelves a few times a year. Mine was from batch 1124. The bottle presentation is supposed to evoke the same feel as other small batch whiskeys and there is a decorative purity seal that is reminiscent of the ever reliable bottled in bond green filigree, albeit in a meaningless red. Unlike its bonded brethren, this edition comes in under 100 proof and does not have any age statement. There's not a whole lot of additional information provided by Costco or the distiller, but we can reasonably assume that it shares a similar pedigree as the entry level 1792...

🥃Review #29: Costco's Kirkland Blended Canadian Whisky - Is it Crown Royal?

Awarded 91 points and a gold medal by the Beverage Tasting Institute, Kirkland Canadian Whisky is known a great value and many in the popular culture have alleged that it is repackaged Crown Royal due to its relative quality for the price. But is it? 📚 Background: Kirkland first introduced their line of spirits in the 1990s and has expanded their offerings over time. While I wasn't able to find a first release date for this product, the first TTB label in the COLA database is from 2016. The whisky is imported for Costco by Wide World Importers in Louisville Kentucky. Digging a bit further reveals that Wide World Importers is an alternative name for SAZERAC . For me, this conclusively busts the popular myth that Kirkland Canadian is made by Crown Royal (a Diageo property). Sazerac has a number of Canadian Whisky brands in-house, including: Rich & Rare Reserve ($19.99 for 1.75L - No Age Statement), Seagram's VO ($22.99 for 1.75L - Aged Six Years),...

☕ All Java Monster Flavors Tasted & Ranked

As a habitual caffeine abuser, I have a soft spot for Monster, both for their expansive lineup of flavors as well as their support for Sports and E-sports. Coffee is my standard caffeination vector, so the Java Monster suite of products is the perfect mix of bean flavor and energy boost. In this post, I'll provide my personal rankings and rationale for what is a very strong lineup. Note that I have not been compensated in any way for this write-up... I just like them. Currently, Monster Energy 's Java Monster lineup has five available flavors: Mean Bean - Vanilla Irish Crème Loca Mocha - Chocolate Salted Caramel Café Latte There are two "triple shot" versions of the Vanilla and Mocha which contain 300mg of caffeine though their flavors are very similar to the base versions above. At this point, we should also take a moment of silence for the two cold brew flavors, sweet black and nitro latte. The nitro latte was a personal favorite and I quite liked the sweet black,...

🥃Review #53: Costco's Kirkland 15YR Highland Single Malt Scotch - 2025

The 2025 release of Costco's Kirkland 15-year Highland Scotch hit shelves in late January and is a recurring installment on an annual cadence. The first pallet to hit my local store sold out almost immediately. Thankfully, we got two more shipments at one pallet each that hung around a bit longer and I was able to snag a bottle. Like in previous years, this Highland Scotch is finished in sherry casks. Alexander Murray & Co. is the bottler with MISA imports out of Texas bringing it to the States for consumption (Costco's standard sourcing pattern for Scotch). The bottle has a nice heft to it and there is an ensconced Alexander Murray Lion adding some nice texture to the front of the bottle. Steve Lipp, CEO of Alexander Murray, calls it "Perfect for after dinner drinking." All-in-all, this shows an attempt to elevate the product and presentation from the ubiquitous blends and non-age stated iterations you'll sometimes find under the Kirkland label. Neither Alex...

🎮Call of Duty Zombies: The Drinking Game - Rules

Since its introduction in Call of Duty: World at War , Call of Duty Zombies has been a PvE staple for gamers everywhere and has appeared in many subsequent titles. In this post, we'll explore rules for turning a game of round-based zombies into a lovely drinking session. As with all drinking games, set limits before you begin and be sure to conduct yourself both legally and responsibly. Preparation To play the game, you'll need the following in addition to an internet connection, gaming device, and Call of Duty: A Party Sipper of your Choice - I recommend something relatively low ABV. We balanced the rules for a player of moderate ability and a sipper of 4-8% alcohol. Light beer is my go-to here since it has enough lovely hydrating waters to help stave off some small sadness. A Couple of Shots - I would pre-pour a couple of shots to have on hand. Again, lower end of ABV which for shots likely means 80 proof. Kirkland Canadian Whiskey, Tito's Vodka, or Lunazul Tequila wo...

Castle & Cairn

Search This Blog