WHISKY TASTING WITH DIAGEO RESERVE BRANDS

I’m getting the crazy eye from some guys in suits because I said that my whisky was bitter. I better stick to my winetasting and all. I took two gulps of water as I deliberated…

Right, who am I kidding? I decided to forge unchartered waters in an attempt to keep things interesting. The scoop and the big story are out there. The Comfort zone is soooooooo, well, COMFORTABLE.comfortable is boring & mediocre. I decided to ditch conformity and do something out of the box. I’m always ranting about wine and cocktails but I think it is time that I diversify my portfolio a bit. I did write about my whisky experience on this post but I did not write about the actual brands that we sampled (The ones I said tasted bitter).

We Sampled 4 Johnnie Walkers

·         Black label

·         Double black

·         Gold label

·         Platinum Label

There are no wrong tasting-notes because we all have different palates and we have different tastes for things.
Black label was golden brown because it is aged in oak barrels. It had an intense taste and a great kick. Now I get why it is a luxurious drink because it was smooth on the tongue.

The double black. As if the black label was not potent enough, someone thought it was better to age it in even more, in oak barrels. In fact, the packs of the black and the double black are different. The black label is clear black while the double black pack looks like charcoal because of the charred barrels. It was darker. On the nose it was sweet with a peaty aroma. It was richer on the tongue.

Gold Label reserve is a multi-layered blend. I tasted some fruitiness and honey that changes to woody, smoky and more honey as it sat more in the tongue. Whisky tasting is just like wine tasting. One lets the whisky sit on the tongue to discern the taste.

Platinum label. Before I review this whisky, I have to say that the Walker family made a lot of whiskies for events, corporates, private gatherings and customers. These whiskies were for the select few. This is one of the private blends that has a rich and intense flavor. It tasted of nuts, fruits and it was smoky.

I don’t think my tongue has ever had all those potent flavors in one evening. I usually stick to lighter drinks and cocktails. All these brands are above 40% ABV. It is a requirement of all Scotch whisky as I said here. Well my desire to get out of my comfort zone paid off because I learnt so much from the Diageo Reserve Brands and Kariuki Mukii from EABL gave facilitated the tasting.