Get A Free Johnnie Walker Tasting Glass
My colleague Jared Paul Stern already reported on the Johnnie Walker Black Centenary Edition but the company has other ways that they are celebrating 100 years of great whisky. Should you already have your bottle of the popular 12-year-old scotch, you can also pickup a complimentary, limited-edition anniversary rocks glass. Head to their website download a form, complete it and send it in to receive yours while supplies last.The brand also held a series of unique blending events last month. Some bloggers received a package that contained several bottles of whisky, an empty bottle, a mixing flask, a glass funnel and a tasting glass to participate in the Johnnie Walker Black Label Centenary Journeyman Blending Event webcast on September 29. I got to have the in-person experience, taking part in a blending event held at the Montage Beverly Hills.
In my head I've always compared the difference between single malts and a blended scotch as the difference between an essential oil and a perfume. But while I've had the chance to dabble in blending essential oils to create a rudimentary scent (so much harder than it would seem), I hadn't, until recently had the chance to try my hand at blending whisky. But who could resist when the folks from Johnnie Walker fly in one of their master distillers, Andrew Ford, complete with swoonworthy Scottish accent and sit you down in front of an apothecary-like set of stoppered bottles?
Before the blending I talked with Ford a little about the challenges of predicting the future of whisky. He mentioned that the Johnnie Walker stocks span 7 million barrels which sounds like an awful lot. But because they Johnnie Walker Black is aged 12 years the challenges of guessing how much whisky you'll need 12 years in the future is no easy task. The whisky market has gone through a series of twists and turns in the past few years. First demand, spurred by the sudden rise in whisky drinking in Japan, India and other places, spiked to unprecedented levels. Then the global economic slowdown kicked in and pricey spirits took their licks along with other potent potables including champagne. Now what the future holds is anybody's guess. Another concern is climate change, not so much for the grains but with regards to water and the peat which grows in cooler and moist climates. The burning of peat is what gives some of the whiskies used in Johnnie Walker Black their distinctive smokiness.
In fact those smoky whiskies were probably the biggest surprise for me in the Johnnie Walker blending experience. The experience, which is called the Johnnie Walker journey, is something that has been offered within the company for years. The idea is to give those outside the blending rooms a little idea of what it's really like to make Johnnie Walker. What seems like a dream gig starts to seem a bit arduous when you remember that each batch of whisky has to taste just like the others that came before it. Each blend has to satisfy the fans of the scotch who are depending on the same consistently satisfying blend. Add to that pressure the fact that each whisky in each barrel is ever so slightly different and suddenly the onerousness of the task at hand becomes clear. Luckily I wasn't trying out to be a great nose so for me it was play to get just a hint of what goes into creating a blended whisky. A heavy dose of grain whisky as a base, touches of lowland malt for a hint of grassy freshness. A few generous splashes of Speyside malt for those sweet dried fruit notes. Casks that once held sherry do some of the magic in giving the whisky a more nuanced flavor. But it was the whiskies that were last that proved the most challenging to add. The island malt had a full nose of smoke, a sort of bacony richness that made me want to mix it with maple syrup and pour it on pancakes. The Islay malt at the far end was even smokier, a magnificently rich char. No wonder I always want to drink whisky by a roaring fire, it's got the woodsmoke blended right in.
Sadly for me, my attempts at whisky making were haphazard at best. Some of my companions had better luck but I think I'll let Andrew Ford and the other whisky masters at Johnnie Walker do the heavy lifting for me.
