Summer Duets Today Today Super Blends


June 25, 2021

	Summer Duets Today Super Blends
	We don't taste many blends.

Johnnie Walker 'Blue Label' (40%, OB, +/-2021)

Are you seated? Well, we've never formally tasted Blue Label. We've tried special editions, such as the stunning Baccarat (WF 92), the Casks Edition (WF 87), or there, the Brora & Rare (WF 88), but never the regular Blue. I mean, of course we've had some on many occasions – such as at birthday parties, as we all do, but I never, ever wrote any notes. Boo to me, but I'm really glad TWE have included this expression to their 'Twenty' kit. Well thought of! Colour: full gold. Nose: malts, not grains. I mean, breads, pastries and fruits, both stewed and as jams. Preserved plums, apples, oranges, small berries… And then sauna oils, touches of vegetal smoke, a little camphor, fir honey, eucalyptus… Tends to become empyreumatic, would then gear towards rose petals, litchis and gewurztraminer. Good fun, good complexity. Mouth: frankly, I find this very good and doubt they would have added a lot of grain whisky. This time we're more on various honeys, old herbal liqueurs, sponge cake, rum baba, then roasted pecans and peanuts, teas, bergamots… Some Dutch friends would even add kumquats, but I'm not too sure. Anyway, lovely honeyed palate. Finish: a little short, frankly it's hard to fathom why they wouldn't have brought this one to 43 or 44% vol. Feels a little stingy, even if they have good reasons. Such as, well, avoiding taxes. Comments: great NAS composition. I could quaff gallons, really, well done Dr Jim and team. Love the blue glass too, I'm sure you can make lovely bud vases out of these bottles.
SGP:552 - 87 points.

Blended Scotch Whisky 38 yo 1980/2019 (44.9%, Thompson Bros., sherry butt, 490 bottles)

Rather bizarrely, this one was 'blended into butts' in 2007. I do not know if this is ex-Edrington stock indeed, but it could well be one of those 'Ms' that have been liberated in recent years, all ranging from pretty good to very good (but never stellar) in my little book. Colour: deep gold. Nose: touches of varnish, then roasted nuts and burnt raisins, orange jam, balsa wood, a tiny drop of camphor essence, sugarcane juice, praline, turon, nougat, then parsley and lovage… It would surprise me that this would not be indie, ex-blending stock 'M'. Mouth: I do persist. Praline, caramel, tobacco, rum, tighter herbs (lovage again), marmalade, more nougat, both black and white, rum, maraschino (very typical)… The body is just perfect and the oak would just never get in the way. This deserves a decanter by Van Cleef or any other luxury brand, but then the price wouldn't be the same. Finish: long, extraordinary. Comments: I had thought that, whilst the nose was spectacular, it would then nosedive on the palate, as quite some sister casks already did. It did not, I was wrong (who said 'again', who?)
SGP:562 - 92 points.

Great little session, I'm really happy about those 'blends'. Not sure any grain's been used, having said that. CU.

Check the index of all Blends we've tasted so far