Johnnie Walker Green Label Blended Malt Scotch Whisky Tasting/Review
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- čas přidán 7. 07. 2024
- This episode, I review the Johnnie Walker expression that I missed in my previous review ( • Johnnie Walker Green L... ). The Green Label Blended Malt Scotch was recommended by you, my viewers, and I want to thank you for pushing me to review it. Cheers! Also, check out my Talisker 10 review: • Talisker 10 Single Mal... . Check out the gear I use: whiskyriffs.com/gear.
The guitar sounds are from my 2016 Fender American Professional Stratocaster.
I buy a lot of my whisky from Flaviar. If you want to support my channel and also enjoy a Flaviar membership, please use my link to get (and give) a free bottle: fbuy.me/v/kevin_14516
I also use Craft Whisky Club to get special edition bottles of whisky. You can help support my channel by using this link: www.craftwhiskyclub.com/en/co...
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
Whisky Riffs is a channel focused on reviewing whiskies while listening to guitar riffs.
FOLLOW ME
* Twitter: / kevinhoctor
* Personal Website: kevinhoctor.com
FOLLOW WHISKY RIFFS
* Twitter: / whiskyriffs
* Website: whiskyriffs.com
* CZcams: / whiskyriffs
* Instagram: / whiskyriffs
VIDEO EQUIPMENT
* Primary/B-Roll Camera: Sony ZV-1
* Secondary Camera: iPhone 11 Pro
* Editing: Final Cut Pro X on an M1 MacBook Pro
* Key Light: Aputure Amaran 100d COB LED Light
* Diffuser: Selens Hexadecagon Softbox 65cm/26in
* Color Light: Aputure Amaran MC RGBWW Mini
* Fill Light: Elgato Key Light Professional Studio Light
* Light/Camera Stand: Neewer Pro Stainless Steel Light Stand Tripod with Casters
* Vocal Microphone: Deity V-Mic D4 Mini Video Microphone
* Vocal Microphone: Rode Lavalier Microphone
* Wireless Audio: Rode Wireless Go
MUSIC GEAR
* Guitar: 2016 Fender American Professional Stratocaster
* Guitar: 2017 PRS CE 24 “Angry Larry”
* Guitar: 2019 Taylor 314ce
* Guitar: 2020 Epiphone UpTown Kat ES
* Amp: BOSS Katana 100 MkII
* Looper: BOSS RC-10R
* Guitar Microphone: Earthworks SR-25
* Audio Interface: Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (3rd gen)
* Vocal Microphone: Shure BETA85
DRINKING GEAR
* Norlan Glass: www.norlanglass.com
* Glencairn Glass: www.glencairnwhiskyglass.com
* Whisky:
Love this one. It’s a friendly light sipping dram for the summer time.
It's the best JW I've tasted so far. This Duncan Taylor 18 really blew me away though: czcams.com/video/dtw_GE9rUuQ/video.html. Cheers!
Yup Green is the best of the JW in my opinion. The Blue label is so overrated and ridiculously overpriced. For $400, the cost in. Vancouver, I can get some spectacular single malt scotch whiskies! At least the Green comes in at 43%! The scotch that makes up this expression are great so I’m disappointed in the outcome. It could be a lot better.
Glad you decided to try it Kevin. And yes, you're right, it's an OK whisky for having a quick one. But if given the choice I would also choose any other single malt. But as I said before, it's a great starter for someone who doesn't know anything about malt whisky and wants to start to discover. Slàinte
I appreciate the suggestion, Bruno. Thanks. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed the Green Label. Slàinte mhath!
I had an old (1975 ) bottle of Green label JW lying in my late father in law's stash and my brother in law and me decided to try it out. You'll not believe the complexity of flavours we got in from that one! And we kept marvelling at our father in law's great taste and choice all night! After all we too were examples of that!
I can only imagine what a 1975 bottle of whisky would be like. That was back before the crash and rebirth of Scotch. Here's to your father-in-law's great taste 🥃. Slàinte mhath!
For my take sir it hits home for the tag the notes an the smoke and smoothness was the hit getting the blue label next week of you have done one on that one would love to see you do it great video on it as well
Thanks for the request. I have reviewed the Blue Label in this sample pack: czcams.com/video/Z_lA_a4V324/video.html. Cheers!
very nice and peaceful review and background music made it a pleasure to listen to with all them loud mouth reviews out there this was a pleasure to listen to ,please make some more and thanks . yea green was nice to sip on and really a big difference from the black to me the black was weak would i pay the extra money sure why not i would do 4 ounces of green and go into the black for the 6/7 ounces .
Thank you for the kind words! I'm behind on a few reviews due to a heavy travel schedule (findingGinaMarie.com), but more are coming. Cheers!
Good to follow up with JW Green. I actually enjoy this and ... possibly more than Talisker 10. Not when I'm going for that full stormy malt. But as a closer to a daily drinker, I really do enjoy. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Jon! I see you reviewed this a couple of years ago… OUTSIDE with light snow coming down. Even though I grew up in Buffalo, I couldn't handle that environment for a review. You're a sturdy Canadian. ;)
And it's funny that you should mention enjoying the Green Label more than the Talisker 10. That evening when I was editing this video, I was waffling back and forth between the two pours. It's a tough call. Cheers!
@@WhiskyRiffs Peated malts with light snow? A very good combination for me. I would certainly say it may be a mood choice. Talisker certainly has more character.
@@WhiskyNeighbour Good shout on the Talisker: more character nails it. But I'll let you keep the smokey/snowy combination, I left Buffalo in 1985 for a reason. ;)
Just bought a bottle of green, not my first Rodeo to do so. I find it a good shout if someone said they wanted to taste something “smooth” it’s an easy sipper with mostly mellowed out palette with a little bit of a spicy ending. I’m normally in the smoky Islay camp; Ardbeg, Laphroaig, Lagavulin etc but find this something to enjoy a little bit sweeter and calmer. I can also get it (living in Japan) for ¥4000 or $30. Which is a bargain for 15 year old juice, even if it is a blend.
That is a bargain! My wife and I are planning to visit Japan (March of 2024) for the first time. I know that's a long time from now, but as full-time travelers (czcams.com/users/FindingGinaMarie), we need to plan far in advance. Cheers!
Totally agree, Kevin, haven't had Johnny years but it was the Green that I appreciated more than the others. As for the brand, I've yet to come across one that markets itself better. I can't tell you how many sponsored Johnny events I attended in the 2000's with their kilted brand ambassadors bestowing whiskey wisdom as we sampled the line. Most of us could not discern red from blue but we left feeling special. 😁
Feeling special is a good thing. ;) Cheers!
Green is my favorite. Black label is my goTo when I am at the bar.
If I'm at a bar, I typically look for a single malt first. I'd probably choose an Irish whiskey next, and then a bourbon. The JW blends were low on my list before the Green Label. Now I might try that, depending on the price. Cheers!
Blue label
Nice review. As you said, Johnnie is mass market and never quite going to cut it for true afficionados, but the green label is a nice sipper and a must have in the cabinet for guests not as deep into the hobby. Picked it up for $32 here in Germany, which does make it a good deal for a 15 year malt. Btw. I'd steal that hollowbody off your wall in a second, if I wasn't a Leftie ❤😉
Thanks, Duke! I love my Taylor 314ce, but unfortunately it's in storage right now while my wife and I are traveling (czcams.com/users/FindingGinaMarie). I miss it! Cheers.
Green Label is the only JW I drink. I will actually put 4 drops of filtered water (I really mean 4 drops) in my glencairn and it really is pretty decent. Good review. Cheers 🥃
Thanks. Cheers!
Hi Kevin , glad to see you : ) J W 15 Green one of my favorites whisky .3 month ago i buy 2 bottle ( 34 euro per bottle) and .... Drink it ))) Cheers !
That's a great price per bottle for the Green Label. Cheers!
@@WhiskyRiffs Cheers !
One of the most interesting whiskeys I drink.
Like the black and love the green.
That’s the great bit about whisky: Everyone gets to pick a favorite and no one is wrong. Cheers!
Save the bottom 10-20% Talisker to spice up the Green Label ! ! good review.
Thanks for the compliment and the tip. Cheers!
I have no real problem with the green. Now that I have let go of my snooty Ness a little bit, I have found that my favorite way to enjoy a drink is a little bit of blended malt with some Gingerale, believe it or not I’m perfectly happy with monkey shoulder, and the Johnny Walker Green mixed with a little Gingerale however one of the reasons I love your channel is because I stilll from time to time will pour an Ardbeg or lagavulin and try to catch the strong flavors that way. Still training my palette and nose
I’ve always tried not to be a whisky snob. I had plenty of people rolling their eyes when I ordered Maker’s Mark at bars. I’ve adopted the motto, “Drink the whisky you like the way you like it.” That serves me well. Thanks and cheers!
Good scotch and wonderful guitars this guys speaking my language
Thank you for finding my channel and for speaking my language. Cheers!
Double Black & Green are definitely my picks as well, I do recall enjoying the Platinum but they don't make that anymore. Thinking 18 year was the same but the Platinum was much better
The Green Label blend of single malt Scotch expressions and the increase of ABV, really helped me enjoy this bottle more than the rest. Cheers!
@@WhiskyRiffs have you tried JW High Rye? It's a little higher proof than Green and in my opinion it's not bad
I have not. Maybe I'll try to find a taste of it at a whisky bar.
@@WhiskyRiffs like to see that in your next video
Personally as someone who was introduced to Whiskey through Red Label as a party consumption (with the exception of the more expensive blends in my fathers mysterious liquor kabinet), I was interested in the different labels as I got older and visited different types of parties. I liked the idea of "upgrading" as my pocket allowed it, emphasis on the fact that I am not a whiskey/scotch connoisseur, JW helped me explore this world though and Green Label was actually my preferred taste even over the more expensive Blue Label.
I would love to hear any expressions that provide a more adventurous pallet to the taste in the Green Label price range! What would be your personal recommendation over the Green Label?
As you said, you like the taste of Green Label so it's hard to beat a flavor you enjoy. For a blended Scotch, I'd suggest trying Compass Box Spice Tree. My favorite peated single malts are Port Charlotte 10 Heavily Peated and almost any Ardbeg, but the 10 is the most affordable. For a nice finished peated whisky, go for the Ardbeg Uigeadail. Cheers!
I had the same sampler pack and bought a bottle of green label to compare. The green label is definitely solid, especially for the price. I think if I were to try them blind though, either the 18 or Blue Label might come out on top. The Green Label is definitely a better overall value though.
I didn't mind the 18, but the Blue Label was not impressive enough to me for its price. Cheers!
I’m either a single malt islay guy or a spicy rye guy. But for $30 the “high rye” isn’t terrible and it’s a good bottom shelf option for guests who don’t know what they like or want or for cocktails.
I'll take your word for it, Jacob. I'm not a rye guy (not even rye bread), so I can't make these calls well. Cheers!
Talisker 10 is very good. Green Label has different versions through the years, I even got one Taiwan edition.
A Taiwan edition? I happen to be in Taipei right now… hmmmm… ;) Cheers!
I got my own Infinity bottle of SINGLE MALT scotch whiskies almost topped off…..Lagavulin 16, 8, Distillers edition, Talisker 10, Ardbeg 10, Ardbeg An Oa, Port Charlotte 12 or 10 i can’t remember, Laphroaig 10, Craigellachie 13, Talisker Storm, Glen Scotia 15, Glenmorangie 10,12,14 etc, I can’t wait to see what this creation yields!
That sounds brilliant! Well done you. I'd have drank half of them by now. ;) Cheers!
@@WhiskyRiffs Thank you 👍🏼
Good that you got the JW Green, It is a nice dram to sip and it is the best among the JW stable and don't compare a single malt to blended one, they will never be the same, except when its a Compass Box. Green Label is more near to Linkwood than Talisker but again Linkwood is hard to find. Sip is it and enjoy JW Green, when you feel like 'uhm... what should I drink?'. Nice dram, enjoy it 😃
"and don't compare a single malt to blended one" GL is a blended single malts, mixture of different flavours to get a new one, so, why not to compare?
@@log0log you can if you want to. Green Label is a good whiskey 👌
I agree that Green Label is a good blend and compares well to some single malts. It's all about the price to value based on where you live. If JW is much less expensive than any single malts you can buy, it's not a bad sipping dram. Cheers!
@@WhiskyRiffs where I live, the price is ~37 euro for GL 0.7. Not sure, why blend of 15 YO single malts should be _much less expensive_ than _any_ single malt. There are peated single malts cheaper - Connemara 24euro, Talisker 10/ Laphroaig QC are about the same ~40euro etc
I had a Blue Label as a gift from work twice and was never impressed, but even Green Label is my fave from the brand.
And the Blue Label just keeps going up in price. I've had to be a bit more careful about which bottles I buy because of the increases. Cheers!
Blue Label is overrated and hugely overpriced!
I haven’t purchased green label for at least 15 years but the ones I have are great. When you’re traveling especially in Europe it’s usually the only decent chance available.
I've notice that in Portugal. My choice of Scotch is very limited and mostly consists of cheaper blends.
Glenfiddich 12 is widely available in most countries
You are good. Subscribed.
Thank you so much! Cheers!
Ty
You're welcome. :)
Whisky riffs exelent video
Thanks, Daniel!
Love this one.But it is really hard to find lol.
You can't drink what you don't have. It's just basic physics. ;) Cheers!
I love the Green Label. It’s been my favorite blended malt for several years. Unfortunately, the price has skyrocketed over the last two months. I would gladly pay the old price of 49.99, but I will not pay 67.99. Goodbye Johnnie Walker.
I see that price jump too. In my favorite San Francisco whisky shop, it's listed for $80 USD. That's way too high. Oh well. Thanks for sharing!
With it being a blend, what would you say the percentage is of speyside vs islay? You keep comparing this to Talisker. Is this more of an islay blended whiskey? Would would the ppm roughly be?
Hi John. I guess I compared the Green Label to Talisker because there are brine and seashore notes in the flavors. I wouldn't compare it to a smokey Islay and I'd never use PPM to describe the peat levels in a dram. I know that Bruichladdich promotes the high PPM on its Octomore line to describe it, but at best that only works for a single distillery. The peat flavors in Port Charlotte Heavily Peated 10 are different from Ardbeg Corryvreckan which are different from a cask strength Laphroaig 10. They could have similar numbers but tastes are personal. I hope that helps!
So I was excited to tried the Green and came away disappointed. The palate tasted very unbalanced and unpleasant to me. Idk if ingotna bad bottle but I actually preferred the regular Black to it. I thought the Platinum was the best I had. Idk if I'd buy a bottle of Green again think I would have to retry at a bar.
I had another viewer mention the Platinum, but I'm doubtful I'll ever get to try a dram. Because the ABV is bumped to 43% and it's 100% malted barley, I think it matched my taste profile for a Scotch better than the other JW blends I've tried. But taste is very personal and there's no right or wrong in whisky. Cheers!
If money wasn't an issue, I'd say the Blue Label is a little bit more nuanced, and with a longer, smooth finish. I had the opportunity of trying both the Blue and Green during a long afternoon at my dad's, a few years back. Now, considering that the Blue Label is around four or even five times the price of the Green, I wouldn't buy the BL. I'd choose dozens of other single malts over the BL, in the $120-$250 tier.
Thanks for sharing, Pablo. The Blue Label is so overpriced. It's a bit cheaper here in Scotland, but still nothing I'd spend that kind of money on over other drams I appreciate more. Cheers!
I'm not going to lie, my preference is the Double Black, because of the smoke and peat. This one runs third,after the Blue., but of course, nobody is wrong.
You are very correct, there is no wrong answer when it comes to whisky. But you might like some Islay expressions if you enjoy smoke and peat: czcams.com/video/k9ERddWrp6M/video.htmlsi=hkU2-f8Rt_YW4_qd.
JW Green Label ist good, tried it once in my Whisky Bar. But to be honest, for the same price I can get already much better Single Malt Whisky. So nice to try but definitively not a "must have".
I'd like to hear your thoughts on my latest episode: czcams.com/video/dtw_GE9rUuQ/video.html. Especially if you've tried this Blended Scotch expression. Cheers!
😊
;)
Green is the best Johnnie Walker IMO but at £45 a bottle its a little expensive. If you are looking at paying 50 quid for a bottle of whiskey there's better options out there! Pesonnally I really the Black and you can often get it on offer for around £22-24.
Thanks for sharing! I agree about the Green and shared my opinions about the rest in this review: czcams.com/video/Z_lA_a4V324/video.html. Cheers!
I still unfortunately cannot find the Green Label
There are a lot of single malts out there, especially if you enjoy a bit of smoke flavor: czcams.com/video/k9ERddWrp6M/video.htmlsi=hkU2-f8Rt_YW4_qd.
One could argue that Caol Ila is the purer expression of JW.
The distilleries that contribute to the JW blends certainly are the heart of those flavors.
I avoided Johnny walker due to your original review
I wasn't planning to revisit JW expressions, until so many commenters recommended the Green Label. Now I'm happy I did at least try it, even if it's still not a go-to whisky for me. Cheers!
I can drink black or blue anytime. Easy to have after work to relax.
There are too many really good 10 and 12 year single malts available in the same price range that are going to have better flavor, finish and complexity to waste money on JW Green even with a 15 year age statement. 15 years in a third fill barrel isn't going to contribute as much as 12 in a first or second. I would take one of the Compass Box malt blends over JW, and probably for less money. With JW the real question is, what cocktail are you going to make?
Well stated. Everyone gets to enjoy the whisky that they like, but there is an argument for value. Cheers!
GREEN LABEL a great WHISKY
WELL BLANDED TALISKER CAOL ILA and CRAGGANMORE
TALISKER is a great WHISKY from ISLE OF SKYE
THE BEST OF ALL JOHNNY WALKER
Thanks for commenting! I did enjoy the Green Label more than the other JW expressions. Cheers!
$48??? Over $60 in Ft Worth...if you can find it!
Prices are so regional. When you find good prices, you grab the bottles. Cheers!
The new talisker is not at good as 15.
Interesting. Thanks for the heads up!
Frankie Munoz's dad is everything I thought he could be
😂 🥃
Had one the other day and was unimpressed
Everyone is allowed to like what they like. I’m not going to be buying JW expressions anytime soon. There’s too many other brands to explore. Cheers!
Green label is everywhere here lol go figure
Whisky distribution is so weird. For the most part, San Francisco is a decent place for variety. I can get the Green Label now, but a few weeks back… nope.
You cannot compare a single malt to a blended scotch. This isn’t a fair comparison. Green label, IMO, is the best blended scotch I have had.
The Green Label is a Blended Malt Scotch, which means it has Single Malt Scotch expressions in it. I agree that it's not exactly the same, but I do think that comparing prices is worthwhile.
@@WhiskyRiffs comparing prices for spirits that you enjoy is most certainly worthwhile, I agree.
From the barrel 2008 15 years = 2023
Are you saying that there's a 15 year single malt in this blend? I'm not sure what point you're trying to make. Sorry.
Good video except for the background music, sounds like being in a classroom full of students in a history period with some bullshit music coming from that scrappy built in speakers in the ceiling walls, very annoying.
Like various whisky expression, music is very personal. Cheers!
@WhiskyRiffs It wasn't a professional presentation indeed, you could never sell that product with your bs music man, cheers up your's.
Good thing I'm not selling anything then.
7:16 .. what are my thoughts? I think you're a teeny beeny bit of a snob? You play the guitar really nice and mellow. But yea, I would say the best expression of JW is black label 12 years old. hen comes green. Then comes blue. And with the exception of red label, no JW flavor is worthy of the facial expression you had when talking about them.
I try to be honest with my reviews and stick to my opinions of why I like or don't like a whisky. My facial expressions are a result of how I feel about a whisky and don't represent how anyone else should feel. I'll make some horrible faces drinking most Rye whiskies, but millions of people love them. I just don't.
As for JW, I do think the brand has expressions that are often over priced for the flavor profiles - especially Blue Label. If that makes me a snob for suggesting that big brands aren't always the best choice, then I'm a snob. I'll always recommend that people try other types of whisky so they can find flavors that my not be in their "go to" expression. I'm constantly challenging myself to step outside my comfort zone, but I'll never tell anyone that their choice of drink is wrong. Drink what you like, how you like it. Cheers!
Used to enjoy a pour or 2 of the black labels when younger but now its too smokey almost as if they add artificial smoke
Some expressions can feel like they've been rushed. There was a "peated" whisky in the US that was created by using extra staves in the barrel to "enhance" the smoky flavor. It didn't taste rich or authentic. I don't know what JW does to create their expressions, but most of the high-production brands have to compromise something. Cheers!
i'm not really impressed with you and won't watch again
I'm sorry to hear that, Martin. Cheers!