“Where There’s No Smoke, There’s No Fire"
Whisky Review # 771
Country: Scotland
Brand: Johnnie Walker Black Label Triple Cask Edition
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
Age: NAS
Age: NAS
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 40%
Maturation: A Mix of Casks used to mature Bourbon, Scotch and Caribbean Rum
Chill Filtration: Yes
Price Range: US$ 40-50 ( November 2018)
Buying Advice: 😒 Weak and Thin. Indifferent Wood. Negative P/Q ratio.
Colour:
Light Golden (Artificially Coloured)
Nose:
Light and Sweet. Strong influences of Dusty Refill Oak and Grain Alcohol. A bit of Rum but not a whole lot. Disappointing!
Main Aromas:
Toasted Cereals, Grain Alcohol, lightly Buttered Toast, Toffee, Salted Caramel, Brown Sugar, Straw, Refill Oak, Dried Fruit like Figs, Plums and Apricot, Nuts and Nut Shells, Dusty Road and Cinnamon.
Supportive Aroma Accents:
Vanilla, Orchard Fruit (Pear and Green Apple), Pineapple, Sugared Orange Peel, a touch of Smoke, Heather-Honey, Pepper, Ginger and Menthol.
Blair Athol
Palate:
Weak, Thin, Peppery and Sugary Sweet.
Main Flavours:
Sugared Breakfast Cereals, Toffee, Salted Caramel, Brown Sugar, Dried Prunes, Dirty Earth, Refill Oak, Cinnamon, Pepper and Licorice.
Supportive Flavour Accents:
Vanilla, Heather-Honey, Smoke and Ashes, Orange, Dried Herbs and Cardamom.
Finish:
Short, Bitter-Sweet and Dry with Toasted Cereals, Toffee, Salted Caramel, Grain Alcohol, Refill Oak, Dried Prunes, Orange, Nutshells, Vanilla, Dirty Earth, a bit of Smoke and Ashes, Pepper, Cinnamon, Licorice, Weak Black Tea and Dried Herbs.
Drinking Advice:
Added Water transforms this JW in a weak Black Tea.
Rating: 77.5
Nose: 20 - Taste: 19 - Finish: 19 - Overall: 19.5
Drinking Experience:
Borderline Okay (Neat) - Okay (On the Rocks).
Conclusion:
This Limited Edition was released in May 2018 as a Travel Retail only. It's made with around 70% of Grain Alcohol produced by Cameronbridge and around 30% of Malt Whisky from Cardhu, Strathmill and Blair Athol. I don't understand why this Triple Cask was released as a Black Label as it hardly contains any Smoke. It should have been released as a Red Limited Edition and at a lower Price level! But that's not the way big business works of course. I am a long time fan of JW Black but I am really disappointed with this Triple Cask edition. It's Sugary Sweet and Thin. Lots of 3rd and 4th Refill Oak and minimum Rum influence. A negative Price/Quality ratio. I can't recommend this and I'm glad it's a limited edition only.
Jan van den Ende November 1 , 2018
Maturation: A Mix of Casks used to mature Bourbon, Scotch and Caribbean Rum
Chill Filtration: Yes
Price Range: US$ 40-50 ( November 2018)
Buying Advice: 😒 Weak and Thin. Indifferent Wood. Negative P/Q ratio.
Colour:
Light Golden (Artificially Coloured)
Nose:
Light and Sweet. Strong influences of Dusty Refill Oak and Grain Alcohol. A bit of Rum but not a whole lot. Disappointing!
Main Aromas:
Toasted Cereals, Grain Alcohol, lightly Buttered Toast, Toffee, Salted Caramel, Brown Sugar, Straw, Refill Oak, Dried Fruit like Figs, Plums and Apricot, Nuts and Nut Shells, Dusty Road and Cinnamon.
Supportive Aroma Accents:
Vanilla, Orchard Fruit (Pear and Green Apple), Pineapple, Sugared Orange Peel, a touch of Smoke, Heather-Honey, Pepper, Ginger and Menthol.
Weak, Thin, Peppery and Sugary Sweet.
Main Flavours:
Sugared Breakfast Cereals, Toffee, Salted Caramel, Brown Sugar, Dried Prunes, Dirty Earth, Refill Oak, Cinnamon, Pepper and Licorice.
Supportive Flavour Accents:
Vanilla, Heather-Honey, Smoke and Ashes, Orange, Dried Herbs and Cardamom.
Finish:
Short, Bitter-Sweet and Dry with Toasted Cereals, Toffee, Salted Caramel, Grain Alcohol, Refill Oak, Dried Prunes, Orange, Nutshells, Vanilla, Dirty Earth, a bit of Smoke and Ashes, Pepper, Cinnamon, Licorice, Weak Black Tea and Dried Herbs.
Added Water transforms this JW in a weak Black Tea.
Rating: 77.5
Nose: 20 - Taste: 19 - Finish: 19 - Overall: 19.5
Drinking Experience:
Borderline Okay (Neat) - Okay (On the Rocks).
Conclusion:
This Limited Edition was released in May 2018 as a Travel Retail only. It's made with around 70% of Grain Alcohol produced by Cameronbridge and around 30% of Malt Whisky from Cardhu, Strathmill and Blair Athol. I don't understand why this Triple Cask was released as a Black Label as it hardly contains any Smoke. It should have been released as a Red Limited Edition and at a lower Price level! But that's not the way big business works of course. I am a long time fan of JW Black but I am really disappointed with this Triple Cask edition. It's Sugary Sweet and Thin. Lots of 3rd and 4th Refill Oak and minimum Rum influence. A negative Price/Quality ratio. I can't recommend this and I'm glad it's a limited edition only.
Jan van den Ende November 1 , 2018
Cardhu Distillery
