Country Scotch Whisky
Distillery/Brand Johnnie Walker
Style Blended Whisky

Johnnie Walker Black

Johnnie Walker Black Label has a long history. It dates back to the late 19th century when John Walker & Sons of Kilmarnock had three blends in ascending order of age and price: Old Highland, Special Old Highland, and Extra Special Old Highland. These had white, red, and black labels respectively, and were known by their colour. Then in 1906, the three blends were relaunched as White Label, a five year old, Red Label, a nine year old, and Black Label, a 12 year old.

While Red Label would lose its age statement and White Label disappear altogether, Black Label is still a 12 year old blend – though it did go through a phase without an age statement. Its prestige status was trumped with the launch of the super swanky Blue Label in the late 1980s, but Black Label has never lost its cache. Across the world today, a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label is a recognised currency and symbol of excellence.

The classic 12 Year Old Black Label is a blend majoring on Diageo’s Four Corners of Scotland distilleries Clynelish in the Highlands, Cardhu on Speyside, malt from Glenknichie and grain from Cameronbridge with a little smoke from Caol Ila.

Tasting Note by The Chaps at Master of Malt

Nose Winter spice and treacle, hints of white pepper and a little citrus.

Palate Rich and full with notes of wood smoke and dry spice, hints of barley and cereal with creamy toffee and a distinct herbal note.

Finish Quite fruity and long with a note of sultanas and mixed peels.

I've been really good, can I have
Johnnie Walker Black ?
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Winner of 12 spirit awards

Gold Outstanding
Gold Outstanding
Scotch Whisky - Deluxe Blend - 2013
International Wine & Spirit Competition
Double Gold
Double Gold
Blended Scotch - to 15 Yrs - 2013
San Francisco World Spirits Competition
Gold
Gold
Blends aged up to 12 years old - 2022
The Scotch Whisky Masters (The Spirits Business)
Gold
Gold
Blends aged up to 12 years old - 2020
The Scotch Whisky Masters (The Spirits Business)
Gold
Gold
Blended Scotch between 12 and 20 years old - 2020
International Spirits Challenge

Allergy information

This product does not contain any notifiable allergens
More allergen information



Reviews for Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 Year Old
The new version is bad
Jim beverage if you can read this message.. Please bring the older recipe (1990’s-2000’s) the finish has a youthful bitterness. It doesnt taste like aged whisky for 12 years.. since the label was changed the last time and the taste was horrible.
Master of Malt Customer
10 months ago
Johnnie walker black
If you're a newbie to whisky ,try this really smooth,a little smoke, along with monkey shoulder the best blended whisky on the market!
Mike H , United Kingdom
one year ago
Don't waste your money on anything else.
After 10 years of tasting many.. many cheap and expensive and VERY expensive whiskies.

Black label is the best.
Master of Malt Customer
one year ago
nice drop
Nice whisky for the money. I get lovely toffee like flavour. Never add water to this one. On another page to the red or to cheaper varieties. 12 years smooths out the edges. Pleasantly surprised with this can't say that about the JW red.
Phil B , New Zealand
one year ago
Poor Persons Benchmark
"Read below please" summed it up very well. I would be very surprised if ANY whisky is the same as it was 10, 20, 30 more years ago. There are so many variables at play but the biggest one is reduction of alcohol. This product used to be 43.4% abv - now it is 40%... Shame! Let us do the dilution if we choose and charge extra if necessary... anyway STILL a very good drop and 12 years is the sweet spot.
RICH , Australia
one year ago
A blended scotch for a fair price
A good blended scotch for a fair price. On the nose : fruit, raisins, vanille, smoke and peat. Better than the non-smoke, non-peat blended whiskies : Famous Grouse, JWRed, Bells, Teachers etc. 85 points
Eddy Louis C , Gambia
one year ago
Good
Sipping one in a bar with a copita glass right now in Spain as I wanted to try one as it’s getting difficult to find whiskies here. So I wanted a cheaper alternative to what I usually drink (to keep them for longer)- Laphroaig, bowmore, caol Ila and wanted to try this one as you can find it here quite easily. I’m not a blended lover, even though I have tried some more select ones which are quite nice, I find this to be perfectly acceptable for a mass produced one. Definitely get those Christmassy notes, some smoke, a bit too smooth for me maybe but enjoyable- like a lighter jura 10
Ifan , Spain
2 years ago
Smoky Burnt Wood
On the nose I get a buttery toffee with apple.

On the palate I get a very smoky charred wood flavor with a hint of peat. Sultanas and a slight toffee note add to the flavor, a dash of water makes this whisky more appealing. The finish is short and spicy with a hint of fruit.

Like most Scotch a acquired taste, much prefer Bourbon as it tends not to beat you up as much.
Darren R , United Kingdom
2 years ago
Lovely
Really like this blended whiskey as good as a few malts, my new favourite
Phillip B , United Kingdom
2 years ago
Read below please.
JWBL used to be about as close to a standard affordable stalwart as....well as almost every single whisky in Scotland until the psycho CEO class decided that nobody would notice if they ripped the heart out of their products and replaced them with dreck!
I have changed the drams I buy several times over the years, as more and more beloved whiskies have been mutilated. One heartbreaking example was Ballantine's 17 year old. I badly miss Lagavulin 16. They sell whisky called Lagavulin 16, but it is emphatically NOT Lagavulin 16. It no longer exists. There are some bright lights of course. We know who they are.
God Bless Them.
Like many of the non-paid, experienced reviewers on this website, I have been drinking JWBL since The Eighties. This whisky has been criminally mistreated for many years, but every now and then I buy a bottle....just to see how bad things have become. I do the same with Big Macs....just to remind myself that I hate them. Now I don't know whether it is my imagination, or whether I have become so unused to drinking Black Label that I can't actually remember what it tastes like, but the couple of bottles I have bought this year have actually been pleasant. I live in an Asian megacity. I don't know whether that is relevant. And there is a shop not too far away from me that sells vintage Blue Label. (!)
But I am drinking a just-bought measure of JWBL right now and the only thing it seems to be lacking is the oily mouthfeel that we know and love and touch of depth. Perhaps previous bottling have been so utterly pathetic that I have set the bar too low for a valid opinion?
I eagerly await a response from the MoM community. :-)
Master of Malt Customer
2 years ago