JW Black Label

[mrt]

What do you think about JW Black Label? I've just bought a bottle and tried for the first time. The Scotch blends I had tried before were standard ones like JW Red, J&B Rare, etc. IMO, yes, this is far more better than those standard ones-in compliance with the claim "deluxe" and 12 years maturation.

However, once again I'm sure, my choice is bourbon.

What's your opinion about JW Black Label?

[Deactivated Member]

How much does "deluxe" cost?

[Marvin]

JW Red is only about £12, JW Black is about £20. So it's still less than most single malts.I believe you have to go for the Gold or the Blue to really get a "deluxe" blend.

[Drrich1965]

While I find it a bit "thin", as I do with many blends, I also find it to be fully of character, and enjoyable.

[Ardbeg311]

I found it to be sickly sweet. I would respectfully decline it even if it were freely offered.

[Drrich1965]

I found it to be sickly sweet. I would respectfully decline it even if it were freely offered.

Declining a free scotch! Heresy

[Jan]

I have never tried this - but guess I should get around to it... and some of it's brothers.

Does anybody know if 5cl tasting sets of the various JWs is avaiable ?

[Nidaros]

I think it is good.

This is what I always serve unless a visitor comments on my malt collection...

No need to pour a good malt into an Irish Coffee, as I know someone's wife did...

[Jan]

Are the friend and his wife still married ?

I always keeps an Tullamore Dew around for Irish coffees - no sense to tempt fate

[Nidaros]

Yes they are still married.

However, I know he colour-coded his winecellar with labels since then:

Green: You can take this bottle
Yellow: You CAN take this bottle, but tell me, just so I keep track
Red: Divorce

[hilliamash]

Black Label is my favorite of the blended whisky JW range....this is not include the Green Label vatted malt. The Red Label is perfectly awful in my book...rather inconsistent and a cacophony of tastes that don't seem terribly well wed to each other. Red reminds me of Chivas in the sense that....both are popular beyond belief...quite literally.

The Talisker in the BL is quite nice and comes through nicely. But, for the price, its not any more special than White Horse IMHO.

[Admiral]

I feel the poll is missing an additional option, namely:

"An above average blend".

I don't think it's a top of the line deluxe, but I don't think it is just average either. It's somewhere in between.

Cheers,
ADmiral

[ResIpsa539]

Black Label is my favorite of the blended whisky JW range....this is not include the Green Label vatted malt. The Red Label is perfectly awful in my book...rather inconsistent and a cacophony of tastes that don't seem terribly well wed to each other. Red reminds me of Chivas in the sense that....both are popular beyond belief...quite literally.

The Talisker in the BL is quite nice and comes through nicely. But, for the price, its not any more special than White Horse IMHO.

I went to a free JW "Experience" tasting, and we were puzzled that there was a glass of Coke in front of us. When we got around to tasting the Red Label, the JW "expert" told us to mix it with the Coke and that JW Red is not intended to be imbibed by itself. Yikes.

[Admiral]

When we got around to tasting the Red Label, the JW "expert" told us to mix it with the Coke and that JW Red is not intended to be imbibed by itself.

Ha !! That is seriously amusing, but no less disappointing.

It's right up there with previous JW ambassadors advising that JW Gold should be drunk frozen; that JW Blue should be poured into a large glass and filled with water; and that JW Green should be poured over ice.

Can you see a pattern emerging here?

Sad, sad, sad, sad.

Cheers,
AD

[ResIpsa539]

Yes, we were served the Gold chilled...but didn't hear the blasphemy about the Blue and the Green.

[Dubois]

Better than average...

[K-Mile]

Never tried it. I was put of by JWR so much that I didn't try another whisky for a couple of years

Until I had my first HP18, that is...

When we got around to tasting the Red Label, the JW "expert" told us to mix it with the Coke and that JW Red is not intended to be imbibed by itself.

Ha !! That is seriously amusing, but no less disappointing.

It's right up there with previous JW ambassadors advising that JW Gold should be drunk frozen; that JW Blue should be poured into a large glass and filled with water; and that JW Green should be poured over ice.

Can you see a pattern emerging here?

Sad, sad, sad, sad.

Cheers,
AD

How can they take their drink serious of they say things like that.

"We produce a great blended whisky, but don't even think about trying it without masking it's taste, numbing your tastebuds, and dilluting it beyond recognition..."

[Elagabalus]

JW Black is good, however I prefer to spend (and always do) the extra dollar and get a bottle of Aberlour 10yo. A dollar difference between this blend and a very nice IMHO, SMS.

[lexvo]

Better than average. I won't buy a bottle of it, but I will order it in a bar if they don't have single malts.

[Elagabalus]

Never tried it. I was put of by JWR so much that I didn't try another whisky for a couple of years

Until I had my first HP18, that is...

That sounds like me when I first tried Nana's Glenfiddich!

When we got around to tasting the Red Label, the JW "expert" told us to mix it with the Coke and that JW Red is not intended to be imbibed by itself.

Ha !! That is seriously amusing, but no less disappointing.

It's right up there with previous JW ambassadors advising that JW Gold should be drunk frozen; that JW Blue should be poured into a large glass and filled with water; and that JW Green should be poured over ice.

Can you see a pattern emerging here?

Sad, sad, sad, sad.

Cheers,
AD

How can they take their drink serious of they say things like that.

"We produce a great blended whisky, but don't even think about trying it without masking it's taste, numbing your tastebuds, and dilluting it beyond recognition..."

[bond]

I would rate it as an excellent blend. For the prices at which Gold and Blue retail, one can get much better whisky. The price-value equation for Black is tough to beat.

I always have a few bottles in my bar. Typically tend to pour it when I feel like a drink but am not really craving for anything specific. Also serve it to people where my malts would be wasted

[Elagabalus]

When we got around to tasting the Red Label, the JW "expert" told us to mix it with the Coke and that JW Red is not intended to be imbibed by itself.

Ha !! That is seriously amusing, but no less disappointing.

It's right up there with previous JW ambassadors advising that JW Gold should be drunk frozen; that JW Blue should be poured into a large glass and filled with water; and that JW Green should be poured over ice.

Can you see a pattern emerging here?

Sad, sad, sad, sad.

It sounds like JW wants to find ways to make their whiskies palatable to the many rather than the few. It is for this reason why these suggestions are made, all of which reduce the bite, and the complexity and flavours, of the whiskies.

Cheers,
AD

[CCRoy]

I bought a bottle at a friend's recommendations. I'll never follow that friend's recommendations again without further research. Holy schmoly, what an awful bottle of whisky. My summation: smells like rotten wood with the faintest hint of bitter chocolate, tastes like tinned herring, and burns all the way down. Not so bad once you're drunk, but it's not a pleasent ride getting there. Upside: the aftertaste has a very short expiration, so at least it doesn't linger. I still have the bottle, seeing I've found a prefectly good use for it - despite it making awful drinking whisky, it makes for very good cooking whisky (especially good in chicken marinades). That aside, I just don't get what other people see in this whisky.

I'm a single malt drinker, but I don't mind a good blend. I just don't think this is a good blend. I haven't had any other JW except this and the Red label, and I found the Red label easily better than this. That makes me very apprehensive about trying any of the pricier JWs. I'd rather just go with an Irish blend if I couldn't have a single malt.

[Elagabalus]

JW Black Label is an exceptional blend. You just do not enjoy it, but it is celebrated not only the novice but by many enthusiastic connoisseurs.

[bond]

Ha !! That is seriously amusing, but no less disappointing.

It's right up there with previous JW ambassadors advising that JW Gold should be drunk frozen; that JW Blue should be poured into a large glass and filled with water; and that JW Green should be poured over ice.

Can you see a pattern emerging here?

Sad, sad, sad, sad.

Cheers,
AD

The recent ad campaigns are pretty sad too. The Blue Label ad spells it as "whiskey". The Gold Label hints to the brand name deriving itself from the gold foil on chocolates (sic!) which in turn are touted as the ideal accompaniment to whisky. As if freezing it was not good enough.

[irishwhiskeychaser]

I feel the poll is missing an additional option, namely:

"An above average blend".

I don't think it's a top of the line deluxe, but I don't think it is just average either. It's somewhere in between.

Cheers,
ADmiral

Alot of 'Delux' blends are cons in the first place if you ask me and the word delux should be banned However I think that eventhough JW Black is not in the delux category IMO it is a fine dram and well worth a punt.

[hiccy]

I wouldn't entertain it, if I wanted a blend I'd reach for Black Bottle beforehand and put the change towards another malt.

Green Label is nice.

[bongoman]

Everyone seems so unconvinced about JW Black.

And yet the Whisky Mag reviewers all give it top marks.

Dave Broom gives it 9.5 and states

The benchmark. Unconvinced by blends? Try this.

Michael Jackson believes that JB Black is

(d)eceptively gentle at first. I have on occasion been completely led astray by what seems to be mildness of this whiskey, then taken on a journey of rediscovery. I find new flavours every time.

Paul Pacult speaks highly of it as well in Whisky Mag and elsewhere Jim Murray is quoted thus

Each day I have some 6,000 whiskies to choose from for a social dram if I want one. And at least once a week I will sample a Black Label. While the single malt revolution continues unabated, it is a shame that whisky lovers do not use this as a yardstick. They will find that very few malts can match this for complexity. This is the Savoy, the Everest of Deluxe Whiskies: there is not a blender who would not give their right arm - or even their left one - for the recipe of this supreme whisky. The trouble is, even if they had it, they would then struggle to find the stock. It represents probably the best value for money of any whisky in the world.

I'm curious why forum members are ho-hum about JW Black and yet the reviewers are so enthusiastic?

[Ganga]

I just find it a little to "spirity" for myself. Now Johnny Gold....

[Elagabalus]

Johnnie Walker Gold Label is exceptional I agree. It is one of my favourites.

[Gearóidmuar]

I've an apartment in Spain where whisky is dirt cheap. I tried a bottle of this. Did not like it at all first time, but persisted. I often find that. I now think it's pretty good, though not as good as some of my favourite Scotches. My favourite of all whiskies, Jameson 12yr old, I did not like at all the first 3 times I tried it. Someone had given it to me. I now think it's unbeatable.
You often find this. Not only that, but drinks don't taste the same to you every time you try them. Another point is that when you're judging whiskies, ask yourself when finished one, do I want another of them right now, or something else.

[LeoDLion]

JW Black label is one of the best blended whisky you can drink in my opinion. There are few that are better like JW Blue and Gold.

I was in the duty free store in Manila. The dominant whisky is JW Black. Its all over the place. I bought six bottles for $160 which comes to about 13.3 pounds each! You cant beat the price. On top of that, they were having a promotion and buying 3 bottles gives you your choice of free luggage or a t-shirt, backpack and a hand luggage. I bought 6 bottles of JW black and got twice as many giveaways. I also got my name in a raffle where the prize is a brand new BMW! (You might be wondering why I bought 6 bottles of JW- well I stayed in Manila for 6 days! But shared the bottles with clients.)

The point is JW Black is one of the best selling whisky in Asia in my opinion.

[Gearóidmuar]

Well Johnny Walker is the best selling brand worldwide. But what does that mean?
The best-selling Irish whiskey is Jameson, the ordinary one. It's not the best-selling in Ireland, where Power's is king. I think that this single malt thing is a bit overdone. The top Irish whiskeys are all blends, of good stuff of course. Whereas some of the Scotch blends include some pretty ropy stuff, made palatable by better stuff.
All single malt means, as far as I understand, is that it comes from one distillery, and not necessary from one barrel.

[Aeolus]

We enjoy JW Black as a kind of "unthinking" scotch when its use is probably more medicinal than recreational.

If things haven't gone well Saturday afternoon (had to go rescue someone with a flat tire in the rain and mud) and still had to empty the ashes in the fireplace and move wood, etc.when I got back.

Then, I might want a a couple of quick "unthinking", on the rocks (maybe) drams, to improve my attitude and mellow out a bit. It is PERFECT for that! If I try to drink something good, I don't appreciate it and then I'm mad about wasting it (the SMS).

So, I think it is fine in its place. I like Dimple for the same reason.

[Aidan]

I think Black Label is excellent. I am having the Gold Label now and it's brilliant. Also have the blue and green here. Green not as good as Gold, in my opinion.