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Johnnie Walker Platinum Label 18 Year Old

Average score from 2 reviews and 3 ratings 78

Johnnie Walker Platinum Label 18 Year Old

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@huineman
Johnnie Walker Platinum Label 18 Year Old

This blended was crafted back in 2012 in order to replace the Gold Label within the Asian market, but time has passed and the truth is that both now coexist.

A straw-colored pour that yields mostly peaty aromas, whether neat or water or rocks: toast, incense, char, caramel and a hint of toffee.

After that nose I was expecting a stronger dram, but it turns out the mouth is silky, smooth, soft... Way too delicate and easy-going, verging on bland. Medium to long-lasting finish with smoky notes.

I don't know if this strange lack of connection between nose and mouth had initially something to do with the aforementioned Asian target, but to yours truly the result is disappointing (and really overpriced.)

M

Nose: A light and fragrant scent touches my nose with heavy butterscotch, orange extract and dried fruits. The nose on this whisky is light and sweet with subtle hints of the bitter elements of citrus fruits commonly associated with their peel. The scent of pineapple wafts up with some pair, softly inviting me to taste the whisky. The age of this whisky, being 18 years old, is noticeable almost immediately. It is soft and subtle on the nose, without any overpowering smokiness or alcohol commonly associated with other whisky.

Colour: A rich gold with an amber glow.

Taste: Oily on the palate with a rich texture that screams of smoky butterscotch and honeycomb, beautifully complimenting the nose in almost perfect harmony. Matching up nicely with the nose are also explosions of citrus, especially orange, and tropical fruits. Smooth and intense, a strong smokiness emerges but then its sheer intensity deadens the senses slightly detracting somewhat from the experience. On the fourth sip, however, my tongue appears to be getting accustomed to the explosion gradually cede to bittersweet elements of maple and what I recognize as oak.

Finish: A vibrant and energetic warmth tickles my tongue and moves down my throat and into my esophagus. Remaining on my tongue are notes of lemon and orange extract, which eventually fade.

Overall: This is excellent whisky. The main and noticeable different I detect between this and the Johnnie Walker Green Label is the texture of the Johnnie Walker Platinum Label apart from some subtle variations in flavour. The Platinum Label seemed to take slightly thicker and resembled to some degree an oily residue. This possibly explains the lingering finish on the Platinum Label. The Johnnie Walker Platinum Label 18 Year Old is definitely a high quality and enjoyable whisky, but it is not distinctive and does not blow my socks off like the Johnnie Walker Green Label 15 Year Old. I think that the oily texture experienced with the Platinum actually detracts from the overall enjoyment of this blend. I will not compare this whisky to single malts.

I now look forward to trying the Johnnie Walker Swing and the Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve.

A jewel can be a jewel but lack some sparke or shine. I think the Platinum is excellent, but not outstanding.

As far as I can see, the JW Gold 18 is no longer avaiable at the places I shop. The JW Gold Label Reserve is available.

Thank you for an interesting review. This makes me curious, but not enough to buy a bottle. 'Excellent' but 87 score, and "Lackluster jewel...". No one seems to be too excited about the new Platinum 18, especially at its price. JW Green is all malt...a comparison to the Gold 18 first would have been more of a direct parallel between blended Scotch whiskies.

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