Iwent to a pub today and talked to a guy about my toothache. He suggested that i sink my tooth in a bit of whisky, since the alcohol could numb it. he went ahead and ordered me a glass of whisky on ice. upon the whole action of sinking and drinking, i was not impressed by the numbing sensation, but the smoothness of the whisky itself. i asked him whats the whisky he ordered for me....

Meet Johnnie Walker Gold Label.

heres some description of the whisky from some experts:


The Johnnie Walker Gold Label blends several whiskeys that have all been aged at least 18 years. Blended whiskeys, in general, can also contain grain alcohol, however, Johnnie Walker only uses single malts to blend for its Gold. Even though it says 18 years, you will find whiskeys that are at least 2 decades old as 18 years is the bare minimum age of any addition.

THE NOSE
The Gold is strikingly “Scottish” as the peat and heather reach your nostrils a foot away. You will nose different aromas from sip to sip, so I will just be on the safe side and state that there is peat, there are some types of flowery, sweet ingredients, and spices. I do not know a soul that can pinpoint aromas in Scotch as there are upwards of 20-30 aromas in most whiskies, so what do you do with a blend?

THE TASTE
The sweetness the Gold is rumored to have is there, but it quickly is consumed by the darkness of the rest of the blend. The smoky peat, the heather, and some spices I cannot name will overcome your palate and linger long after you swallow. If you have the patience to swirl The Gold around your mouth, you can replay this dance of taste over a couple of times. The Gold is stronger than some younger Scotch not so much in the alcohol percentage, but in its ingredients. This Scotch might actually burn your mouth with all its complexities and that might be taken as unrefined and harsh. Tasting over and over again, the burn is actually from ingredients and can be appreciated.

THE AFTERTASTE
Johnnie Walker’s “Keep on Walking” site recommends freezing your bottle at least 24-hours prior to consumption. I actually pour myself a tumbler and then put that in the freezer to chill. I do not add ice to this blend as I do enjoy its strength straight out of the bottle. The freezing is a reverse of something that Davidmanning once wrote:

“Very generally speaking, the more complex a beer is, the warmer it should be before drinking. Ales (again, very generally) are recommended to be served at around 50 degrees F up to cellar temperature for barleywines and their cousins. Experiments are how you figure out what you like best.“

Johnnie Walker recommends the freeze as it will “release its light fruity flavours and true honey sweetness, as the whisky warms in the mouth.” You will, however, lose your ability to nose the different aromas if the whisky is at a freezing temperature.


I never knew theres actually such a smooth whisky. theres very little 'gush' of alcohol vapour after youve drink it. and the flavour as well, its honeyish and vanilla-ish.

After the session at the pub, i decided to get myself a bottle of this gem. but the price is a bit too far away for me, 100++ for a bottle of 700ml. guess ill need to save up a bit to add a gold label in my collection!