Johnnie Walker Ruby Black, 40%

THE REVIEW

Johnnie Walker Black Ruby. In the realms of Johnnie Walker taking on huge celebrities like Sabrina Carpenter as brand ambassadors, what can we make of one of their newest releases? No age statement is on the bottle, however we do get an insight into the use of Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso seasoned red wine, and bourbon casks. An unusual choice, sherry seasoned ex-red wine casks are certainly something that should deliver a lot of those red fruit, slightly tannin driven, perhaps even a wisp of smoke in some cases. One thing we are missing is any info about distilleries that were the focal point of this blend.

We can certainly assume the usual suspects of Cardhu, Royal Lochnagar, perhaps even some Glen Ord, as well as grain whiskies from Cameronbridge and North British. I believe this liquid is marketed towards bringing newer faces into the whisky world, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Although perhaps it makes me the wrong person to review it? I don’t mean that in an arrogant way, but this whisky does fall a little flat for me. It has all the good features of interesting casks and a little peat smoke.

Conversely I can’t say that it’s well priced for the supermarket consumer. The usual RRP of £40 but typically reduced to about £26, that certainly makes it more approachable, but some could be put off by the association in name with Black Label and that little wisp of smoke that lingers around this release. The finish and mid-palate are dominated by what is quite young grain whisky, that in itself washes out many of these bigger, juicier flavours you get from those sherry and red wine influences. It just feels a little synthetic and unbalanced, and this is after it’s been open for nearly 6 months. The smell is very attractive with those grain notes and the sweeter aromas really taking hold of you. But this overall feels quite confused and a little misplaced for me. #whisky #whiskey #scotch #johnniewalker #blendedwhisky

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