Johnnie Walker Gold Reserve

Review by: TOModera

So if you haven’t read my last review, you won’t know that all the whiskies in the bar I was in were 2 pound 50 p. Now you do. See what I did there?

Anyway, I didn’t know this when I walked up to order my second dram (and some water to clear my mouth out). If I had, there may have been many, many more reviews (and I would have stumbled into traffic due to being hammered).

Anyway, I saw a bottle of Johnnie Walker Gold Reserve at the front, and I decided that now was the time to review it. Couldn’t cost more than 10 quid, so I was ready to bite your arm off. When the waitress said 2 pound 50, I was nearly touching cloth and ready to invade France, as it tends to cost more by the dram in the Queen’s colonies.

Johnnie Walker Gold Reserve is new to the scene, replacing the old Gold Label this year. It’s made up of 15 different single malts, all blended together. Also the recipe comes from Alexander Walker II’s blending notes on how to celebrate the 100th anniversary. So I guess I shouldn’t mock this too much, as there is some history behind it.

Or maybe it’s all fluff.

Distillery: Johnnie Walker.

Bottler: Distillery Bottling.

Region: Blend.

ABV: 40%.

Age: Unknown

Cask type: Unknown.

Price: $79.95 (CAD)

Color: Gold

Nose: Honey, peach, smoke, pear, faint cardamon, vanilla, lime juice, musty old books

Sweet nose, mostly fruit, so I’m guessing they use a lot of Highlands, and maybe a few of them had enough peat to give it a musty smell and some smoke. Not bad, nothing special though. Kind like something scrummy.

Taste: Light wild flower honey, honeydew melon, rough oak, smoke, caramel, cheap peach pie, mango, soya sauce, Hershey’s chocolate

It’s mostly just sweetness, kinda naff. More scrummy flavour. Maybe I’m just pissing about, it does have a lot of different flavours, their all just artificial and a little too cheeky for my tastes.

Finish: Chocolate, smoky paprika, dried banana chips, oak, ginger, chili pepper flakes

Nice finish, no need to bung it, and great after the dodgy taste. Nice amount of dryness mixed about, quite moreish.

Conclusion: Bangers and mash, this is quite the dog’s dinner!!

Silly slang aside, this is a gimmick of a Scotch. It’s mixed up so much that it’s hard to tell if it’s coming or going. The finish is nice, the taste has too many fake elements, and the nose is pretty standard. Not the worst Johnnie Walker, but not one worth too much.

Final Score: 78.

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

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