Johnnie Walker Blue Label - yea or nay?

**Angry__Panda** · 02-09-2012, 11:52 AM

Originally Posted by xraygun

The Gold is a superior blend. Even the boys from JW will sort of admit it if you corner them. The Blue is rarer, but does a bottom dial really shave better than a fatboy?

Had a bottle of Gold for the Holidays. Wish I could pour that all the time.

Reminds me, I'm out of Black.

Oh, by the way, Double Black, ehhh. Seems like the guys in marketing came up with that one.

If you want to pour that all the time...Do it. Save cash where you can. Personally I have been investing in several 60-200 dollar bottles of scotch and all it has taken is giving up Starbucks every month. Not to drag this too far off topic, but the finer things in life are most certainly worth paying for and obtaining if plausible (obviously giving up Starbucks isn't going to get me that 185 million dollar yacht I just saw). All it took me was to brew one extra pot of coffee every morning and take a thermos to work.

Just a bit of insight if you want to try to keep your cabinet stocked with delicious beverages (try Balvenie 15 if you want something in the 60 dollar range that is superior to a lot of the crap out there)

**dpm802** · 02-09-2012, 05:44 PM

Originally Posted by jlanger

I'm so bummed, I had the opportunity to try JW blue a few weekends ago, but I'd been drinking most of the night and I frankly was too drunk to really notice how good it was. I do remember that it was very smooth but my tastes were too affected by then. Luckily I'd been having a number of JW blacks so at least the night wasn't totally lost. At least I know a place now where it's $15 a glass (very reasonable IMO for what it is)

Currently Green is my favorite until I get a chance to try Blue again on its own. Green is nice smooth, smoky, and much more mellow then black. Haven't had a chance to try gold or the double black yet though.

I have found out the hard way never to mix different brands or blends during any one drinking session. I can't even drink JW Red and Black, or Black and Green together in the same night.

Like I said, I found this out THE HARD WAY ... you don't wanna know the details.

As for that Blue @ $15 ... go for it, that's a helluva price. But do so on an empty liver, so you can appreciate it in full.

**dpm802** · 02-09-2012, 05:50 PM

Generous Justin's gift to Giants: Here's Johnnie!
Giants Blog

By DON KAPLAN

Last Updated: 1:06 PM, February 8, 2012

Posted: 1:08 AM, February 8, 2012
More Print

Those grins the Giants were sporting yesterday during their trip through the Canyon of Heroes may have gotten a boost from a nip or two of “Blue” booze.

Moments before the Giants left the Meadowlands to celebrate their incredible Super Bowl win, each member of the team — including the coaches and the front office — were given a custom engraved 750 milliliter bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue whiskey, a gift from gregarious defensive end Justin Tuck.

“I wanted to give the guys on the team, the coaches and everyone who got us to Indianapolis a personal gift to thank them for everything that they’ve done,” Tuck said.
$220 bottles of Johnnie Walker

Each bottle had the player’s name and Super Bowl XLVI champions engraved on it. The total tally for 80 bottles was $17,600.

UPDATES FROM OUR GIANTS BLOG

COMPLETE GIANTS SUPER BOWL COVERAGE

“Johnnie Walker is kind of a working man’s drink,” fellow defensive end Dave Tollefson said of the premium scotch, which goes for $40-$50 a drink. “Johnnie Walker and some Coke. It just speaks to the attitude of our team, and the type of guy he is.”

An eyewitness said minutes after Tuck delivered the bottles to his pals around 8 a.m., some players were seen scrambling to their cars to stow the precious bottles, which sell for around $220 each.

“To be a Super Bowl champion, not once, but twice is a dream, and I wanted to give something special to the teammates and coaches that made the dream possible,” Tuck said. “My hope is that they share this with the friends and family who helped them achieve not only this individual win, but the journey to it!”

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/giant...#ixzz1lwJSGEj0

**Walter Sobchak** · 02-09-2012, 06:41 PM

Originally Posted by dpm802

...“Johnnie Walker is kind of a working man’s drink,” fellow defensive end Dave Tollefson said of the premium scotch, which goes for $40-$50 a drink. “Johnnie Walker and some Coke. It just speaks to the attitude of our team, and the type of guy he is.”

An eyewitness said minutes after Tuck delivered the bottles to his pals around 8 a.m., some players were seen scrambling to their cars to stow the precious bottles, which sell for around $220 each...

Johnie Blue and Coke. A working man's drink. Yep. Sure.

Like I said, it's mostly a status bottle, not necessarily a great scotch bottle.

**BigRich** · 02-10-2012, 05:38 AM

Originally Posted by dpm802

“Johnnie Walker is kind of a working man’s drink,” fellow defensive end Dave Tollefson said of the premium scotch, which goes for $40-$50 a drink. “Johnnie Walker and some Coke. It just speaks to the attitude of our team, and the type of guy he is.”

I'm usually the guy that says "if you bought it, drink it however you want" but this is just stupid. Regardless of how you drink it, if you don't like the taste of whiskey then don't drink it. I enjoy whiskey cocktails and a nice ginger highball with Ardmore is tasty too but JW Blue and Coke? I think that falls into the "more money than sense" area. Just my opinion.

BTW, I think we need a [face palm] smiley.

**dpm802** · 02-10-2012, 06:38 AM

Originally Posted by BigRich

I'm usually the guy that says "if you bought it, drink it however you want" but this is just stupid. Regardless of how you drink it, if you don't like the taste of whiskey then don't drink it. I enjoy whiskey cocktails and a nice ginger highball with Ardmore is tasty too but JW Blue and Coke? I think that falls into the "more money than sense" area. Just my opinion.

Yeah, I think there were a lot of things in that article that just didn't seem to make a lot of sense.

Working man's drink? No way.
Blue and Coke? You've got to be kidding.

I thought that this might have been a publicity stunt by Johnnie Walker, and they gave Tuck the bottles to pass along to the team ... but then again, if it really was sponsored by JW, I doubt they would have let those mistakes slip through.

**Samurai-5** · 02-10-2012, 07:23 AM

Blue and Coke ?!?!?! O M G

**Jawaburger** · 02-10-2012, 11:06 AM

Originally Posted by Kazeryu

I've only had it out twice so far, and I am enjoying it quite a bit - but I'm still trying to make up my mind about whether I would ever buy it again.

There are a lot of very good scotches for well under $100 (US) that if you didn't love it, you are probably better off not buying it again. Nothing wrong with spending a premium on something you really like, but if you are on the fence, I don't think it would be worth buying again.

**xraygun** · 02-10-2012, 11:58 AM

Blue and Coke. Courvoisier and Coke. How to throw money in the toilet. Just shows how out of touch and spoiled these athletes are. So insulting to the people buying tickets.

**cb91710** · 02-10-2012, 06:31 PM

Originally Posted by BigRich

I'm usually the guy that says "if you bought it, drink it however you want" but this is just stupid. Regardless of how you drink it, if you don't like the taste of whiskey then don't drink it. I enjoy whiskey cocktails and a nice ginger highball with Ardmore is tasty too but JW Blue and Coke? I think that falls into the "more money than sense" area. Just my opinion.

BTW, I think we need a [face palm] smiley.

You're welcome

**TimmyBoston** · 02-10-2012, 07:16 PM

I've had it many times, it's no where worth the price. You can buy much better Scotch for much less money.

**rickcharles606** · 02-10-2012, 10:39 PM

Originally Posted by Walter Sobchak

My Vote: Not worth it at all --- unless you get a bottle duty free for <$100. It's good, but it's not the pinnacle of the scotch universe as ads and marketing would have you believe. Sure it has some very rare whiskies in the blend, but that doesn't necessarily make it kinder on the palate. It's like 'that' <insert noun here> brand that everyone with money buys because they hear it's the best, when afficionados generally agree there are better options at better price points. I have a full bottle that never gets opened because there are others [single malts] in my cabinet I'd rather drink.

All you Gents who give the nod to JW Green have nice taste. The Green is my favorite in the JW Line; my favorite of any blend.

Side Note:
I'm not a scotch snob, and I don't think there's anything wrong with blends. I don't drink them much as the natural evolution of scotch drinking brought me to enjoy single malts almost exclusively, but there are some very respectable and tasty blends out there. Blends are what keep a lot of our favorite single malt distillers open for business. Without master blenders ordering casks to add to their blends, operations like Cragganmore (this months DOTM) probably would have been out of business long ago.

This man just spoke gospel! I drink JW Green pretty much exclusively, and have had several bottles of JW Blue, and I still find myself coming back to JW Green. For the money, it's the best in the line. I do not believe the JW Blue is the pinnacle of blended scotch whiskey...it's good, but for the money, it just doesn't cut it.

**jlanger** · 02-11-2012, 03:18 PM

Originally Posted by dpm802

I have found out the hard way never to mix different brands or blends during any one drinking session. I can't even drink JW Red and Black, or Black and Green together in the same night.

Like I said, I found this out THE HARD WAY ... you don't wanna know the details.

As for that Blue @ $15 ... go for it, that's a helluva price. But do so on an empty liver, so you can appreciate it in full.

I do plan on trying it again, probably the next time I'm up there, hopefully on an empty liver and after a very nice steak dinner;)

**BigRich** · 02-12-2012, 05:18 AM

Originally Posted by cb91710

You're welcome

Many thanks sir!

**DogHair** · 02-13-2012, 04:04 PM

Wow, Blue is really getting no love here. It is an exceptionally smooth whisky IMHO. I've gone through a couple bottles and I'm not running out to replace today but I will eventually. It's a good crowd pleaser. Single malts take a bit to appreciate and not everyone like the same variety. Blue label is generally liked by all and great special occasion bottle.

**Prince** · 02-17-2012, 09:03 AM

While I enjoy the Blue, I can't justify the price. Black is my standby.

**¢orey** · 02-17-2012, 09:21 AM

I have tried the blue and find it more balanced than most single malts. However, I am not a scotch drinker.

**EckoVicto** · 04-16-2012, 05:19 AM

I have only tried the red and black label they where okay-ish to me.
But it seems like the Blue Label CS edition gets a good review despite its obscure price.

http://www.whiskyfun.com/archivefebruary12-1.html

**k2clones29** · 04-16-2012, 09:18 AM

It's a good scotch, but way overpriced. You pay more for the marketing than you do for the scotch. Don't get me wrong, though, it's blended very well and is among the smoothest scotches out there. With that said, you can get a high-end Macallan for about $50 cheaper, just as smooth and tastes much better. There are many single malts under $100 that taste incredible. By comparison, JW Blue is just too much.

If you like JW Blue, I recommend The Royal Lochnager. It is a base scotch for the blending of JW Blue, so it resembles the flavor and is super smooth. However, you can find it for $50 - $60 typically. Unless you have a highly sophisticated palette, you think you're drinking blue.