The Scotch whiskies produced by Johnnie Walker are iconic in the world of blended whiskies and yesterday I had the opportunity to attend an online tasting seminar with the Master Blender Andrew Ford. The experience opened my eyes to the different styles of whisky used to make these fantastic blends and left me with a deeper appreciation for the artistry of blending.
Johnnie Walker Black Label Scotch Whisky - 2009 Centenary Edition Bottle
Photo Courtesy of: © Johnnie Walker Scotch Whisky
Sampling each of the single malts that represent the different regions of Scotland was amazing. We started with a very light grain whisky and a sweet Lowland malt and worked our way through to the very smoky Island and Islay malts. When all tasting was done it was our turn to blend. My Scotch blends were far more successful than my attempt at creating a palatable Canadian whisky, although I don't know if you could get a really bad blend from the samples we had to work with.
Of those I attempted, my blend of 2 parts each Speyside and Lowland malts with 1 part Islay malt quickly became a favorite because it has sweet, fruity and smoky elements in a proportion that I gravitate toward. In relative proximity to my single malt blend, Ford recommended we try a more common blended Scotch recipe. This uses 50% grain whisky with the rest a mix of that Sherry, Lowland and Islay malt blend I found.
Did I get close to Johnnie Walker Black Label (which is celebrating 100 years under that name after a 1909 relaunch)? Not in the least. With the samples given it would be impossible because around 40 whiskies make up this signature blend and, of course, the Master Blender was not going to give up any of their Scotch recipes. It is amazing to think that these blenders can continually produce the same distinct characteristics using so many whiskies in batches of cask strength Scotch that average 250,000 liters at a time. Now that is an art form.
Comments