Johnnie Walker Double Black Review

Sometimes, you just fancy something that’s the same, but different at the same time.

When I’m feeling especially adventurous and am craving fish and chips, I’ll order haddock instead of cod. If I really want to push the boat out, I’ll even try something new like battered plaice or monkfish. This way, I know the flavours will be new to me, but at the same time, I know I’ll enjoy them. This principle can be applied to many things in life, including whisky.

Take Johnnie Walker for example. It’s one of the most recognised brands on the planet and is synonymous with blended whisky. Without question, one of their most popular whiskies is their Black Label. Is it the world’s best blended Scotch ever created? No. Does it claim to be? Also no. What it is, however, is a solid, tried and tested blended whisky with a loyal fanbase around the world.

Back in 2011, originally for the travel retail market, Johnnie Walker released their Double Black. It promised to take all of the best elements of Black Label, and crank up the volume. Think of Black Label on steroids, and you’re not a million miles away.

It’s this very dram I’m going to be reviewing for you today.

The Original Black Label

There’s a reason why Johnnie Walker is a whisky brand revered globally. I love Johnnie Walker drams because, generally speaking, you know what you’re getting with them.

If I want a classy, sophisticated, complex release of theirs for example, I know to go with their Blue Label. If I want a no-nonsense classic blend for a very reasonable price, I know that Red Label will tick the right boxes. If, however, I want a dram that’s won multiple awards and offers something in between, I know that Black Label is the drop for me.

Originally dating back to the late 19th century, this 12 year old whisky was once the brand’s premium whisky blend. Though this title would later be claimed by Blue Label, the whisky amassed a very loyal fanbase. Combining malt and grain drams from distilleries across Scotland’s whisky regions, including The Highlands, Speyside, and even Islay, it’s the perfect example of everything we know and love about the diverse world of whisky.

No matter what part of the world you’re in, everybody knows Johnnie Walker Black Label, and you shouldn’t struggle to find a bottle or two, either.

Amplifying an Old Favourite

Take a stroll down the soft drink aisle at your local supermarket the next time you’re doing a big shop and look at the different variations of some of the most popular beverages. Along with regular cola, you’ll find different flavours like cherry, vanilla, lemon and lime, gingerbread, and so on. This is a prime example of brands taking something beloved and expanding upon it. That’s precisely what Johnnie Walker have done here.

Johnnie Walker Double Black was released back in the early 2010s, originally for the travel retail market. It was advertised as being a punchier, more extreme version of Black Label. Basically, it was created to have deeper, more complex flavours and a more smokier character with heavier peat notes.

Thanks to the use of more heavily charred casks, and slightly more peated whisky, the result is a whisky with stronger Islay characteristics. For those who enjoyed Black Label, but wanted something slightly less malty, and a little bolder, earthier, and smokier, Double Black was deemed the perfect tipple. It obviously was because, although it was originally a travel retail market exclusive, it is now widely available.

I remember when the marketing hype really began to kick in surrounding the release of this dram, how it was intended to be a more intense and promised to be an extreme variant of Black Label. Having tried this on multiple occasions, however, I have to disagree. For me, this isn’t Black Label with the volume cranked up to 12, it’s its own unique dram, and do you know something? It’s really quite special and has the Spirit awards (11 in fact) to back that up.

Double Black Tasting Notes

Okay, I know you’re eager to get to the good stuff and learn more about the tasting notes, so I won’t mess about any longer. Here’s a quick look at how this dram tastes, or at least, how I think it tastes.

First up, there’s the appearance. The bottle looks exactly as you’d expect a Johnnie Walker bottle to look, and yes, it does include that trademark wonky label. In fact, it looks virtually the same as their Black Label, except for the glass. The glass is frosted and has an almost charcoal appearance to it. This surely represents the extra peated whisky and those more heavily charred casks I spoke about earlier. The whisky itself is also slightly darker, and has a stunning burnt toffee colour to it.

On the nose, you can definitely pick up more than a suggestion of smoke. There’s a salty, maritime aroma to it, which surprised me, as I wasn’t expecting it to have such coastal notes. As these smells dissipate, they’re replaced with crisp Golden Delicious apples, cinnamon buns with cream cheese and vanilla frosting, and fresh lemon zest.

On the palate it’s malty and creamy in equal measure. Strong caramel flavours here, combined with treacle tart. These flavours are then joined by creamy porridge oats drizzled with raspberries and honey, and a touch of jam roly poly drenched in custard. What? No smoke? Don’t worry, it’s on its way. Right at the end you get a touch of cherry wood-smoked pulled pork drizzled with sweet BBQ sauce.

The finish, like me, has great body. It’s also long and drawn out. There’s a great balance of liquorice and malt, with a touch of wine gum sweets and lightly charred oak. A little spicy? Perhaps, though you’ll have to decide for yourselves. Either way, at 40% it’s smooth and very drinkable.

If you’d like to learn more about your favourite whiskies, or simply treat yourself to a dram or two in the process, head on over to GreatDrams.com and take a look at the diverse selection of unique whiskies we currently have in stock.

With an impressive selection of limited-edition, rare, and award-winning whisky, as well as heaps of whisky info on our blog, it’s the perfect spot for any whisky lovers out there.

Tags: double blackJohnnie Walker

Greg

My name is Greg, and I’m a brand strategy consultant, writer, speaker, host and judge specialising in premium spirits. My mission is to experience, share and inspire with everything great about whisky, whiskey, gin, beer and fine dining through my writing, my brand building and my whisky tastings.