Blended
Scotland
Originally released to the travel retail market, Double Black combines the rich, malty flavour of Black Label with slightly peatier whisky and casks that were more heavily charred. The result is a toasty, smoky whisky with Johnnie Walker's usual rich, malty core.
Slightly smoky and almost medicinal on the nose, it offers up hints of vanilla, a little tar, a touch of barbecue sauce, citrus and malt.
Good body and very creamy with a sublimely malty core. It offers up a surprising level of peat smoke which works really well. Creamy sweetness, hints of soft wood smoke, salty butter, custard and cereal grains.
Good length with notes of malt, boiled sweets, black pepper and cool smoke.
Let me tell you the truth about it. This a good whisky blend and you would hardly find better in its price category, in the sense it successfully combines tastes that can easily go wild and spoil a drink (smoke, peat, char, tar...). The best way to appreciate its quality is to compare with simple black label: I remember a little disappointment at my very first drinking of JWB, because of too much talisker-like whiskies in the blend making the finish too peaty, à mon goût. Adding water was also no good idea with JWB. No such thing here, smell and taste are well-balanced all along the Double Black experience, with or without water, even though a little more length and less intensity would have greatly emphasised the finish. Particularly good with dark or milk chocolate.
Received this as a present, being an Islay man, i was skeptical. However, I was pleasently surprised. A little smoke and a little medicine. I prefer a Lagavulin or an Ardbeg, but this is worth a try. Also, it is a bit cheaper ;-)
best
Never been a big Johnnie Walker fan.... but Double Black brings Johnnie on par with some of my favourite single malts.
good
