Johnnie Walker Blue, is it really THAT good? | The Whiskey Dictionary
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ส.ค. 2018
- Johnnie Walker Blue has been looked at as the Pinnacle of Blended Scotch Whisky's for years. The real question is, is Johnnie Walker Blue as good as everyone thinks?
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Sorry for the dark video. Lighting during the day is a bit different than at night.
Your attempt to force me to revisit the red label was underhanded at best, great review otherwise. Strongly agree.
Hah! Sorry about that
Just for your amusement, pricing up here in Canuckistan: $299.95 for a 750 ml bottle of blue, $535.99 for a Ghost and Rare but, $64.75 for a 1750 ml bottle of red! I'm pretty sure a 750 ml bottle of turpintine is only $7.99 at my local hardware store!
Where would a find the list and rundown of the different flavors you mentioned at the end of this video?.... thanks and cheers.
There is a card on the end screen that you can click on. Either that or check my playlist of johnnie Walker
A nice whisky, but it's just a polite whisky for the masses - let's face it.
I agree with you on this.
Its nice. But for the money, i was expecting "wow"
I honestly prefer Black or double black.
It's funny that I've actually received this one as a gift like you specifically mentioned in the video! The nose is indeed very stunning and builds up a lot of expectation, but the taste just doesn't blow you away as you would've expected. Great video's by the way, subbed after watching a few of these!
Thanks for the sub!
I appreciate the honesty, sorry it didn't match expectations. That's disappointing for a $100+ bottle. That's why I watch these..👍
Great review! I agree, try it at a bar but think twice before buying. Personally I’d rather spend that kind of money on some of my favourite whiskies. Cheers 😊🥃!
Nice review! Our tast are similar. I did enjoy it. And it was a gift so it means much more than if I would have bought it myself. I think the green is my favorite overall the JW whiskeys. Cheers!
I agree with you on the taste, it's good but not worth the price. I think it smells a lot better than it tastes.
Give it to someone as a gift and then mooch it from them too! haha But, honestly it's because of what you just talked about that makes you want it regardless of it being good or not.
Good review, looks like you are having more fun with the video editing. Particularly enjoyed the oil splash. Cheers
Gotta keep it interesting:)
@@TheWhiskeyDictionary Re watching this and am appreciating the honest review. For me the Pinnacle of blended Scotch whisky in my price range is Compass Box the Spice Tree just outstanding stuff! Cheers and Merry Christmas Bill.
Do blind tasting with all or many of them and see if your preferences line up with the price-point. That is, the most expensive is your favorite, the next in price is next in preference, etc.
Bought a bottle of this for myself. Good bottle of whiskey. Good flavor. Pairs great with a rocky patel new age limited. Can't say I have as much of a distinguished pallet but im not going to complain.
Great review. I started with the red and black walkers. As time went on and i found my palette maturing i tried many others. I dont feel the need to try the blue.
Ive been told the green is a great version. Maybe ill put it on my xmas list lol.
Platinum! Go for the platinum
I've tried all JW line except for the Platinum and Blue label. I really look forward to the Platinum. My real favorites are the Black and Double Black. The Green is very good as well. I'm saving the Blue for the one I have to try before I die. I can buy a 750 mil bottle of JW Black and a bottle of Lagavulan 16 for about the same price.
I would love to try it, but I would go through it way to fast to justify the price. I do like the black label and will drink red label, however red is a little overpriced in my opinion. Great review!
i really like this review and i 100% agree with the gift thingy making it more special
Try putting a couple of drops of water in it. That can help release the oils and changes the flavour slightly
I also agree with you, I have blue label and gold label, I don’t think blue taste that great. I prefer gold. Great review.
Thanks!
Another great review. I have allways loved Johnny Walker and I got a bottle of Blue back in '93 when I was in England. It was a 700ml bottle ( not the 750ml now available) and the card inside that gave a profile said it was a special blend of flavors that were up to 60 YEARS OLD. They don't state this anymore because as you said, it's not all about age. Having said that I LOVED this drop. Best I've tasted ( next to my second favorite scotch whiskey which is Glenfiddich).
I was gonna buy this thanks for the review
Good review, i completely agree with the bar suggestion and the idea that it is a gift whiskey, more ment as a statement of celebration then something you purchase for your personal pleasure, i think that the joy of giving and possibly appreciating the whiskey with the recipient, while thinking of the occasion being celebrated is what would make it worth purchasing
Nice review! Good info about the Blue!
Thanks!
I've tried it and was also underwhelmed. Hibiki is probably the best blended I've tried.
I was about to say that
does all blue label has same taste regardless of different editions they had like ghost , year of the ox ..etc etc? or its just the packaging makes them expensive? thanks for the advice
I just found your channel are you going to try Blue Ghost and Rare Port Ellen ? I was thinking about getting some for myself but I'm not too sure . I've also been looking at some of their John Walker and Sons . Almost afraid to spend the money .
I tried ghost and rare brora the other day. It was great. I will likely not try the port Ellen because of cost. How much is it?
I like the Green label, it's smokier and will save you 100 bucks.
I haven't talked myself into paying $200 for a bottle of Blue yet, and now I'm glad I haven't. For that price, I would expect it to be absolutely perfect. Thanks for saving me some cash!!
Absolutely. I'm happy to help:)
Great video as always!!
I was shocked when you said the bottle is around 200 bucks because Ive seen it for 120-130 in the Netherlands.
Its consistently about 170 or 180 around here in Massachusetts
ive seen blue label run for like 80$ in lousiana
Maybe it was a 350ml instead of 750ml
@@TheWhiskeyDictionary 😂
My first thoughts too, when I tasted Blue Label .... yes, "Oily" .... I laughed out loud when you said exactly that.
I bought a bottle many years ago in a duty free in an airport...... I'm gad I didn't pay full price for it.
I wouldn't waste money on it again !!!
I had Blue not to long ago, and it was good, I really enjoyed it but the price! At least give us some ABV here. Even 43% would help. I also recently picked up a tasters pack from JW. Same as the one you have there except this one is tiny bottles of 50ml each. Can't wait to go through them all. On a side note, I found Bowmore No.1 to be similar to this, and it's $59 here in Ontario. IMO the No.1 is better than the 12 yr. Just some food for thought. :)
I'll need to give it a try
That oil effect was amazing
Hah thanks :)
I prefer single malts, but JW Blue is certainly a decent blended Scotch.
Being new to the Art of Whiskey sipping,(still exploring differant bourbons) I'm gonna read between the lines and totally bypass JW when I get around to Scotch!
It's a good move until you get to green
Good review. Sipping on my first taste of JW Blue. The nose was my favorite part of this experience. Its good, just not $200+ good. The green is a much better choice if I had to choose. This is basically a scotch for people who have money..that dont know scotch very well.
You nailed it. It's reputation is its main benefit
Great review!
Thanks!
I actually enjoyed blue label very much. Yes it doesn’t have much of a character like those single malts. But it’s a fantastic blend with great balance. It is very smooth and would not offend any drinker. I found a lot of drinkers of whisky especially in the younger generation tend to have a prejudice towards blended whiskies. Try blind tasting and see what you think. Balantine’s 17 is another favourite blend of mine. My humble opinion of course. Thanks for the video
Thanks for sharing your view. I agree with your take on people not enjoying blends as much, however I don't think I fall into that camp. I am a huge fan of compass box and several other individual blends
The Whiskey Dic hi. Definitely not referring to you :) your videos are enjoyable. My comment regarding some drinkers’ prejudice against blend was made because of some of the comments down there, as well as a few friends of mine. Your video would be even more enjoyable if you can incorporate a few Scottish pronunciation in names. I remember you pronounced Islay as “eye-lay”, instead of “eye-la”. Sorry I am just being picky. Hope you don’t mind.🙏🏼
Yea I've done that a couple times by mistake but not often. Most times I say it right
The best Blue Label is a friend's Blue Label. It's nice whisky, but such poor value. Green Label easily is the best of the lineup for me in both taste and value. I also thought the 18 Year Old was most of the way there to Blue Label, maybe 90% there but missing some of those older whisky notes. Still I like Green Label better than 18 Year.
I like that and agree. Ill let someone else share it with me
Its the best mid shelf you can trust
Totally agree, green is my preferred choice in JW line
Green is so underrated cause its nestled in the middle maybe...for the price though...its good. Any1 try the 18 original ...hard to find😔
I tried it about 4 years ago and was not too impressed at the time. I much prefer the green label from a few years ago. Or Monkey Shoulder! Both are better blended malts in my opinion.
Another great review!
I'm leaning towards buying the green label it seems to have the best reviews.
I think thats a smart idea
You wont regret it :)
Almost done mine b4 boxing day 😁
Your review on this is pretty much in line with the average of what I've seen. Yes, it's good but, does it justify the price? This is probably why I haven't bought it yet, no one has sold me that it's a must have tried at least once so far but eventually I will get one. There's just so many others higher on my hit list at this point. I've spent significantly more for bottles, so I/m not afraid to throw down for anything.
What I would say when it comes to blends, Compass box is by far the leader. I've had 6 or 7 CB's and have had my socks blown off by a few of them *Hedonism comes to mind*. If I'm going to drop 2 bones on a bottle? it's Signet all day long~ but that's just me.
I agree with all of what you said. CB is awesome and Signet will always be a good chance
I got it as a gift 😆 and i love it personally
Only tried it once. I thought it was fine but no better than JW Black. In fact I think I prefer Black.
The first time I tried this was at a bar in Croatia. The closest thing they had to a whiskey glass was a wine glass, so I tried it in that. But the bar tenders changed shifts in the middle of my time so they only charged me for what they thought was a glass of the house wine ($4). But my conscience got in the way and I had to tell them.
Eliot Childress Good man. 👍
I'd have done the same thing. Us whisky drinkers are gentlemen
You better hope Rex from the whiskey vault never reads this!
Hah, I'll be seeing Rex at his distillery opening at the end of this month!
Well played sir! Despite the fact I would love that price, my conscience would have me do the same. With the one exception being the bartenders were rude! 😉
100% agree
Great review! I totally agree. I know next to nothing about scotch but when I tried JW Blue I was incredibly underwhelmed.
I also think it's hard for anything to live up to the hype that JW Blue has given themselves
The only time I've had JW Blue was over a decade ago during graduation week and my friend with rich parents bought me 2 doubles on the rocks at some crappy Irish bar. I thoroughly enjoyed the $50 pours, blacked out soon after, and have not tried it since. Although, 4 years ago my friends and I all gasped in horror at an incident at a nice cocktail bar in town. My friend's girlfriend bought him a neat glass of JW Blue for his birthday. He said "thanks babe," shot it, and said "damn that was a nice shot." He's our friend who always drinks shit light beer and mixers and had no clue that his girlfriend paid over $30 for that glass. We were all briefly horrified/shocked that he downed it so quickly and laughed so hard when she informed him of the price. Those are my two JW Blue experiences.
By the way stumbled on your channel two weeks ago through Whiskey Vault and It's Bourbon Vault recommended video sidebar and I'm really enjoying your reviews. I'm a scientist and an information hoard with all of my hobbies and I like that you get straight to the point about the bottle and distillery.
I personally like Double Black JW out of all Jw series . Cheers.
There are actually labels higher than blue. You should try and check them out. I would love to see a review on King George’s Jonnie Walker.
Me too. Money is a factor. At least until I get this channel up higher :)
Been waiting on this one
Me too!
In my neck of the woods that’s a $300 bottle of scotch. I don’t know why anyone would want to spend that much for a 40% abv bottle of whisky. I was feeling guilty about buying a $60 bottle of Old Forrester 1920 and it was really good! Didn’t drink like a 115 proof bourbon
What is (in your opinion), the best? Blend and single?
My opinion changes a lot. My whisky of the year comes out in a few days though :)
OK if it cost 60 dollars but the bang to buck factor does not measure up.
You took one taste. What amazed me about Blue is each sip had a change of flavor -toffee, then butter, then vanilla
Wow.
I do lots of sampling prior to the episodes. This was hardly my first taste :)
The Whiskey Dic
Name please your top 3 tasting scotches please😉
Black label is probably my favourite of the lot tbh.
whats your favorite johhny walker whats the must have in the line
also id love to see you review haig and dimple i think its a scotch everyone would have and a great buy at 30 dollars
For me, my favorite was the platinum. But everyone should try black if they haven't. Solid choice for the price
sweet ill put the black and platinum on my whiskey hitlist
I'm not sure why you're drinking it straight. If you add water, you actually get a lot more out of the taste by taming the ethanol and letting the subtler flavors come out, imo. I'm a fan of this blend, but not at the price point.
Regular blue label just doesn’t do it for me but I did buy the ghost and rare. Pretty good stuff.
As you know we agree on this one. I don't know why they feel the need to market the ghost and rare as part of the blue range. It is much different and much better.
I'd love to try it, but I'm not forking over 400 for a JW
The Whiskey Dic it’s expensive but if u look around you can do much better than $400. I got 2 bottles for $600 including shipping and I think you can do better
Sir,How many blends are used for blue label ?
It varies often. They're attempting to get a specific flavor profile so it's never the same amount
So,sir you mean to say they are still experimenting?
Sir What about other 5 labels does they have any specific no. Of blends ?
Most of them are a predefined grouping of whiskies... the blue is unknown.
Honey Malt? made in Canada? Are you telling us JW Blue has whisky ingredients made in Canada?
Johnny black is the most I would spend on Johnny.
Where is Johnny Walker XR 21? I like it slightly better than the blue.
Haven't gotten it yet! I'll need to pick it up
My favorite on the Johnny Walker is Black and Double Black. I wish I could afford the Blue label. Is it actually worth the huge price point? I don't doubt the whiskey is beyond good
why not the Johnnie Walker 18?
No, its not. It’s enjoyable, as I sip on it as i type this out. I prefer the green label. This should be no more than $80 msrp being generous. Dont get me wrong, its a good scotch…just hyper inflated.
@@Amk4792 no you are wrong.
No, this is just good whiskey. And just buy it for myself haha
With cost not being a factor - what is your favorite whiskey?
Glenmorangie signet so far I think
Thanks! Love the videos by the way. Watching reviews while I sip on some crown royal northern harvest - bought because of your review. Keep it up!!
I'm guessing you like it. What do you think?
The Whiskey Dic it's great. One of those I enjoy taking my time sipping on.
Awesome! I'm glad you're enjoying it!
I prefer the 18 I think it’s better
Agreed
Johnnie Walker Platnium / 18 is better I think. Or JW Swing.
I want to try the swing
I bought a 230 dollar bottle for my friends wedding. jesus christ that stuff is not for a summer wedding. glad i brought the makers and a henny to keep us going
I'd think a bottle of blue would disappear pretty fast during a wedding
Think I’ll stick to Laphroaig
If you think of it..lobster is a sea bug...anyway where can you get a small bottle of Blue.
Absolutely I'm a scuba diver we often refer to them as bugs.
I'm not sure where you can get one I got mine from BJs
I like your reviews in general and agree with your recommendations, but I don't get this one. If you think (as many others) that this is nowhere near worth its price tag, why recommend that you buy it as a gift? Why not buy something amazing for $200? Or spend less money on an equally good scotch?
If the present is just to make a statement, "hey, I spent a lot of money on your gift", sure. But assuming you are buying an expensive bottle for someone that actually drinks whiskey, there are so many better options out there. Let's have JW up their game and make something better for the price!
I think what I was getting at was to get this as a gift, not necessarily buy it as one.
In other words, If you get it, enjoy it. Otherwise, dont buy it
Ah I see, misunderstood this one. I'll definitely gladly accept one as a gift! 🙂
If I was receiving this as a gift I would graciously accept... If I was giving a whisky as a gift it would cost much less and taste much better.
I'm with you
when you say $17-40 at a bar, how many ounces do you mean
2 oz
Buy it at the duty free store and save a ton.
Sadly I don't have any friends in the military that still live near me.
People, dont pay 40 for a shot. It can be had for 150 to 160 a bottle. Buy it, its an iconic whisky, it comes from an era when scotches were simpler and JW ruled the the pack. You wont yoo much about that here. But google its history or watch some other well researched videos. Keep it in your bar, it belongs on the shelf. mThat being said, still a decent job on the video and interesting to watch.
This is an amazing whiskey... slightly overrated but amazing. I find it skillfully blended but it is overpriced. All n all it's a good Scotch ☺👍
3:20 for review
Only tried this once, I wasn’t overly impressed. I agree, it’s not worth the price for me... I am a fan of the Black and double black ~Mike.
The Black is whiskey icon. What can you say about Green Label and Island Green?
Green label was fantastic also my fav was the gold label centenary blend 18 year old.
"in Canada or somewhere like that" WTF??
Lol :)
what is EBV ?
ABV
Alcohol by volume. Essentially the % of pure alcohol vs. Water / other particles
Give me Talisker 10 any day over JW blue
A lot of people don't know that the reason why the price is so high has nothing to do with the value of the whisky, but rather the price of how many years it's been just sitting in storage without ever being sold. JW is famous for buying old whisky that is unsellable and blending it with new whisky to make it sellable, but they have to make-up for the storage fees for all these years for the older whisky, therefore: JW blue. fuck that. Single Malt all the way for me.
I take Highland Park over JW. infact I take any single malt over JW.
@@jabeztomer so true man...ridiculous what happens behind the scenes. Just like when i asked for amaretto and the clerk directed me to the disarono! 😁
@@jacksonbrown2827 Outrageous
First Whiskey bottle I ever received.
Even though it's overpriced, receiving it as a gift is a great way to try this whisky! I hope you enjoyed it.
@@TheWhiskeyDictionary Thankyou, I just recieved it for my 18th birthday last week. I am going to buy cheaper bottles to gain a better palette for whiskey. Where should I start?
When I tried blue label I felt very disappointed. I felt as if I paid for the name.
In the U.k Johnnie Walker is not considered premium.
I really have to disagree about buying the Blue for yourself. While it may not be the best whiskey ever made its nice to have a bottle to share with my brothers. They only way I'm going to get it is to buy it. Nothing wrong to buy something special for yourself.
Buying it to share is totally in the same spirit as buying for guests. I hope you enjoy it :)
Ive never been drunk mind u im a two sip man
Try drinking the whole bottle and you will know why it's the finest of the JW line up. You won't get it in 1 or 2 shots to say it's a 100+ bottle.
I've drank the whole bottle. I do my tasting and nosing notes before recording
They probably made the lobster in a terrible way back then. Nobody will celebrate how coffee was made with percolators.
If you love little corks might I suggest a 50ml bottle of Macallan 12? Or a 50ml of Four Roses Single Barrel? They make the tiniest cork pop ever. Ha, Ha.
Through this whole comment, I just want to say, buy the 18 year. It is only $80 instead of $175 - $230 and is only the slightest touch rougher on the edges. Cheers! 🥃
I'll keep an eye out for the minis thanks!
What's the best whisky to buy as a gift has to taste decent like
Depends a lot on the person. A good bet would be either what you see them drinking or to go to a liquor store, tell the worker what they like and let them suggest something
@@TheWhiskeyDictionary he is my uncle like in his 50's I'm just getting a gift cause I turned 18 n since I live in the UK I can legally get drink so was considering jw blue but was wondering if there is a better opition. Idk much about drinks :)
Jw blue isnt great for the price. Do you know anything about what he likes to drink? Scotch, bourbon, even the color will help. (Darker brown or lighter yellow)
@@TheWhiskeyDictionary see the thing is he is Indian.. Like they generally drink brandy but I wanted to give him something new which he wouldn't have really had. It's more in the name of me giving a gift without him knowing if that makes sense. Like my dad died when I was 15 n like he is my dad's brother so I basically like treat him as my second dad type thing
That makes a lot of sense. Here are some options:
Indian Whiskey:
Paul John Brilliance
Amrut
Scotch:
Johnnie Walker Platinum
Highland Park 18
Monkey Shoulder
It's the Glengoolie Blue.
Whore Island!
Hibiki Harmony and Hibiki 17 still the best whisky in the world
Regardless of how whiskey tastes and smells, after 150 bucks you start paying for exclusivity, rarity and overly expensive ways to make it. I can imagine comparing 40 dollar bottle to 150, realistically you can spot that expensive one is definitely worth more. But comparing 150 bottle to some 20K 50 year old scotch, I doubt the taste will blow your mind.
Perfectly fine but way over priced. JW Swing is a better whiskey for the price
Finish the bottle, fill it with Red, make the Nixon drink with it. Watch people riot.
I got two bottles of JWB as gifts. It does tastes great. Sorry TWD, I totally disagree with you.
I'm glad you disagree. It would be tough to get two bottles of something you didn't enjoy :)
Agreed. I'd wear it as cologne if I could but the taste is mehhhhhh
Hmmm... whisky cologne. Smell like a drunk ALL the time!
The Whiskey Dic hahaha
I prefer my Coke straight....
Years ago when 18 years old was written on the label. It may have been better
The current stuff isn’t worth much chop. Just a status symbol bottle is all it is these days. Unfortunately