Is Johnnie Walker Blue Label really the best? Full lineup blind tasting!

[@ml2799]

Black is my everyday go-to for a relaxing drink. Cheers

[@bigzach322]

Loved this blind, and am surprised that the Green fell so short. I do enjoy the Black and Double Black so everything else made sense. I do wish you added Red into the blind, just to see how their dirt cheap blend fares against the others.

[@StillLivinginthewoods]

Johnny Walker Blue is about gifting to other people in my opinion, not buying for yourself. My wife bought me one several Christmases ago, and I was incredibly surprised and it was the best gift ever because I never expected it, but I was not really impressed with the whiskey so it sat on my shelf for a year over three quarters full. The following Christmas Eve, I take it to a friend of mine's house and him, his wife, his son, and I all finished the rest of the bottle. As more casual whiskey drinkers they thought is was the best whiskey ever, we had a great evening, and we all agreed that my wife is awesome. That is what Johnnie Walker Blue is about for me.

[@TheMashandDrum]

Agree with you. Your wife is awesome. Lol

[@jamiegarrett3869]

Bottom line a bottle of Johnny W and a few norco 10's and it's always a great evening pal.

[@ImCastorTroy45]

Yes its overrated. You can get the 15 year green label single malt blend for $50 to $60 and tastes far superior and is my favorite in the line. Great video.

[@TheWhiskyExplorer]

Definitely. The extra a.b.v. and all malt blend helps the green a lot. Shame that 99% of their scotch is bottled at 40% a.b.v.

[@Hellboy700]

Hear, Hear!! Totally agree with this comment.

[@bradl2636]

100% agree..!

[@theflamingogirls3449]

The reason the cheapest bottle fell into your number 1 is because that’s the one you like so because your use to drinking it that’s why it felt more familiar to your pallet on the other hand I still see it as a win for the blue label

[@LeatherDaddy97]

Its a $60-80 whiskey at most. At work i often point out higher quality options for less money, but most people buy it purely for the name and box

[@The_Profezor]

Spectacular blind. I suspect that many of your viewers have more interesting collections and maybe shun JW. I am definitely one of those. Nevertheless, I have always been curious how they would perform in a blind. This was eye opening. The only thing I wished you had done is identified which glass each of them came from once you did the reveal. It makes it easier for us to match tasting notes with the whiskey. Luckily, I was able to watch your quick hands at around the 12:30 mark and came up with this list (SPOILERS AHEAD): 6th place = #6 Gold (Lightest nose. Malty, honey orange tea. Least interesting of all.) 5th place = #4 Green ("Wow" very orange, citrus forward. Orange peel, bit of chocolate. Tons of vanilla. Most pronounced nose. Love the flavors. Biggest burst of flavors so far.) 4th place = #1 18yr (Light, vanilla, honey. Hint of citrus. Very malty. Decent finish.) 3rd place = #3 Double Black (Sweet, apricot, heather, honey, pear. Fruit forward. Wanted more on the palate. Light, decent finish.) 2nd place = #2 Blue (Rich, complex. Green apple, subtle smoke, hint of salt. Darker, richer, good complexity. More viscous.) 1st place = #5 Black (Hint of smoke, oak presence. Hint of raisin. Raisin also on the palate. Maybe sherry finish? Darker and richer than others. Lacking in texture.) Based on your notes during the first round, I am very surprised that Green ended up in 5th place. You really loved that on the first round. The notes seem great to me! Also surprised that you didn't get any smoke in double black, yet got it on the standard black. Anyway, sorry for the long comment, but your detailed reviews are unmatched and it inspired the detailed comment. Cheers!

[@vladtepes9614]

"Johnnie Walker Black Label. Accept no substitutes." - Christopher Hitchens

[@alanpawlowski1202]

I'm burnt out on bourbon. Happy to see something else from you. Hope to see you do some bits on the ever growing category of American single malt, perhaps even put them up against Scotches in a blind or two 🤘🥃

[@jamiegarrett3869]

Bourbon and speed will definitely burn u out. Try Jim beam and water and an evening on the lake.

[@roscoepcoltrane23]

I just looked at the blue today after work. Pricey. Thanks you just saved me some money. I’ll just get the black label instead. They had ECBP A522 so I picked it up.

[@copperbones7336]

The red that I just drank, made me smile from ear to ear.

[@whiskeyriffslounge]

The black has always been my fav but I was surprised as well by the results for sure

[@websterjg]

Thanks for doing this. It's much appreciated. I enjoyed the way you presented things, both with the history and comments about taste. An entertaining and enjoyable presentation.

[@jackthepickledhound]

Jason, you are the man. Taking one for the team like this. Seriously, great job promoting reality. And fantastic timing. Whiskytube was getting a little stale. It seemed like all the information was already out there and there's nothing to talk about aside from the unobtainable. You gotta respect the master blender and you gotta respect the marketing department. They sell tons of this stuff and with the way prices are going you never know what I'll be drinking next month.

[@seanchicago2836]

I recently discovered I do like the 18 more than the 15, which surprised me. I never really directly compared them to the black. I would have never guessed that it could even compete (although I like the black). This was very interesting.

[@WhiskeyStraightAl]

The greatness of the blind tasting! Great vid Jason.

[@alphatoinfinity777]

I am surprised! I bought the black Sherry for something “different” but I think I’ll have to revisit the OG black. Thanks for the info!! Cheers

[@Jip369]

I had most of these back-to-back unblinded a while back and my rank at the time was: 1. 18, 2. Blue, 3. Dbl Black, 4. Black, 5. Gold, 6. Red. I haven't had the Green.

[@alandiaz1041]

Wow, what a great blind! This is so interesting. I have tried them all and I feel the blue is way overrated. In my opinion the double black and the black are my favorites. Push comes to shove I would take the double black since it does offer a bit more of an Islay profile to me (Islay is my favorite scotch). The standard black is a really easy sipper with just enough going on that you know you are drinking scotch but at an affordable price point. Thanks for the show.

[@boswineguy5461]

Great blind. I was out the other night and drinking scotch and sodas - I was really enjoying the Black Label in that mixer role. Very surprised about the Green falling that low.

[@fabricedufour5325]

This made me happy. Makes me want to do this with my homies. Thank you for this! Cheers

[@AVERAGEWHISKEYDRINKER]

This goes to prove.....don't have to be expensive to be good!

[@imdartson3679]

JW Black is underrated as hell. I swear if they made the bottle a little prettier and gave it an actual cork sales would probably rise.

[@samuelrodriguez6707]

Truth

[@10use]

As commercial as this whisky is... good of you to do a review of all these for us to see. What a surprise Black Label. And ya totally agree about the Blue Label texture being better.

[@jtsdeals]

I just found a 12 days of discovery and am looking forward to trying them. Black is the only JW I've had and is one of my favorite whiskeys to drink.

[@TheWhiskyExplorer]

Thanks J! The biggest miss on Johnnie Walker is the low 40% a.b.v. for almost all releases (the green being the exception). I can imagine some of these at 46% and non-chill filtered and believe it would be a much better drinking experience.

[@kirbyculp3449]

Diageo

[@TheWhiskyExplorer]

@@kirbyculp3449 yaaaa, sucks

[@ShaneTheGeek]

This is wild I really enjoy the Gold Reserve 1st, Green Label 2nd along with Blue Label 3rd.

[@erikevenson4303]

Glad someone did thg this research, my lineup would have been different though

[@javieracosta3439]

Whooo! Nice to see some more Scotch vids Jason. Keep em coming!

[@javieracosta3439]

What he said!!

[@hankf616]

I picked up a bottle of the Blue Label Cask Strength at a duty free in Europe. Having a full power blue label might change your mind about it. Maybe I can get a sample sent to you sometime.

[@archietyler6759]

Great video Jay!!! I was always hesitant to try any JW cuz of others saying try something else. But I'm gonna pull the trigger on the black now!!! Thank you and Cheers Jay!!!

[@philb6409]

I never knew the differences in the labels other than Blue is supposedly the best; great review & info.

[@royn8032]

Good video Jason....Now you gotta blind the black with the red lol

[@itsjustashow]

Love your videos, if I could suggest one thing. I would love it if you overlaid which one you were tasting at the time

[@stevegellas7869]

I’ve been drinking Johnny Walker since my college days starting in 1969! Funny how I was always a big fan of the black. We started drinking the Red Label initially. That was a great blind tasting, thanks.

[@debbybrady1246]

I think I will go to the liquor store and get the black 12. I didn't care for the double black. Haven't had the others.

[@AlexDraut]

Johnnie Walker Black was my gateway into scotch and whiskey in general, so I still have a special spot for it. Kind of surprised to see JW Black at #1, even though I think it IS great for the price. Blue is good, but for less than half the price I'm perfectly fine with the 18, or a nice peated single malt for around $85. I don't dislike any of them, though. For the money, the double black is my favorite and one I'd buy again! Perfect if you're in the mood for "soft smoke" and something I'd recommend to beginner peat drinkers.

[@paulgraham4489]

I have a Red Label from 1955....it's the best Scotch I've ever had. The crap that call Red Label today is not remotely similar to the whiskey they distilled in 1955.

[@jasoncoates1835]

I've had one from the 60s too... and I have an open Black from the 80s. The same is true of both. (Not the *best* I've had, but let's just say there aren't many 12yo single malts today which would compete with that Black.)

[@robertnichols4223]

So glad that you get out of the bourbon loop every once and awhile. Love the shirt. I'm a turkey guy too.

[@mikecoleman3433]

I did a similar blind for my friend and I. Blanton’s, Blanton’s Gold, Bowman Single Barrel, and Bowman Small Batch. Blanton’s was 4th for both of us, the Single Bowman was third, and my buddy chose Gold second and Small Batch 1st! I was opposite and chose Bowman’s Small Batch 2nd and the Blanton’s Gold 1st. It’s amazing that the least expensive bottle did so well! I must say that I’ve had better Bowman’s Single Barrel though

[@terrysoule8441]

Nice review, enjoyed it. I still have some of the (quite old now) gold label Centennial blend 18 year on the shelf. That really holds its own as well. More peat than the black anyway.

[@Hylkamania]

I'm not a scotch guy but was gifted both Black and Blue recently. I think the Blue is very nice but the Black isn't far off and for the money would be the better buy. Blue is a status symbol!!

[@MrNiceKnife]

I’ve tried them all and really enjoy blue label. Just has a flavor that I can’t find in anything else. The nose on blue is pretty muted but the flavor is there, for me anyway.

[@markrees6792]

Just goes to show why blind taste tests are such a good idea. Good video 👍

[@KennethRathburn]

Gold's placement makes sense. I tried a mini of it a couple years ago and found it to be an absolute snooze. Black label is such a versatile bottle and a crazy value when you consider the age statement, profile, and price.

[@josephcain5659]

Thinking maybe you should have drink water after each try...going back to back like that influence the next drink. Some drinks linger on the pallet influencing the next.

[@IC86]

Great review and blind, thanks for posting it. IMHO the only JW worth buying for both value and taste is the Green Label, which I find tasty and decently priced. The more expensive ones may be good, but are not worth the green dollar bills. Double Black tastes okay, but I can get Green Label for just a few dollars more if not the same price. I did not like the Black Label, the “smokiness” tasted artificial. I relegated my bottle of Black Label to mixing, along with the Red Label (which is decent for mixing). If I want smoky/peaty flavor, I’ll buy Ardbeg or Kilchoman.

[@ironmantran]

Thanks, bro, i am getting a case of the regular BLACK ! ! cheap enough . . . blue is good but WORTH 100 $

[@edwardwilcox6606]

Absolute shocker mate! Loved this blind but sad to see the Green failing so badly as it`s my go to JW. I`ve got a special Green on the go which is a Taiwanese market version at 48% ABV ( 96 proof ) which I`m loving, but perhaps I should visit the Black & save some spondoolicks! Btw, after watching your episode with Hood Sommelier I managed to get an Island Green which is awesome, I wonder if that might just have split your top two? Great job Jason thanks.

[@877-MASH-NOW]

I was very interested in this. Thanks for doing this. WHISKEY CHEERS 😎😎😎😎

[@nickentros]

I'm not a huge Johnnie Walker guy, but I was in Thailand back in 2020 and one thing I will say, Black Label always available, and it was an ole reliable to get when I was in a very different part of the world and I just wanted a bottle to have at the hotel to sip on in the evenings

[@robertbooth3367]

LOVE blinds!! Always awesome to see how things shake out when preconceptions are removed! Keep on keeping it real JC

[@ymma9732]

this helps me to stop going for green, gold, blue and 18… Holy cow

[@58lukum]

I’ve only seen one Ghost and Rare Blue Label at my store and omg it was expensive!

[@carlupthegrove262]

Proof (yeah pun intended) that the blind tasting draws out the real winner. Nice video

[@steveamsp]

I've always thought the Blue was very solid, but about 3-4 times the price it should be.

[@carlmartinlinder]

You have to try the Black Label from the 70th and 80th. They are fantastic🥃

[@thomashood3748]

Great idea. I wondered about this. I like the Blue very very much. Not sure 100.00 more!

[@blackice3395]

Was just in St Martin soon as I got off the plane went to the duty free and saw the Johnnie Walker Blue for $155 I hate I didn't grab two of them!🤦🏿‍♂️

[@sachinkainth9508]

I was thinking about Blue Label recently. I have a bottle open at the moment and I'm not joking, I like the Red Label better.

[@r.dalmazzone4334]

It’s a elissir…

[@efuchsman]

I want to see a macallan rich cacao review!

[@Brad-ic4bp]

No Jonnies, Jacks or Jims in my bar. They can dress them up in any color label, put them in a fancy little bottle and call them single barrel or select, but it's all bottom shelf filler. On the other hand, I used to say that about Wild Turkey too, until I tried Rare Breed.

[@pauliej345]

The Green label always gets most hype but when I got a bottle it was honestly really disappointing. I thought the Black tasted better. I also really like the 18yr as well. But the Green just didn't taste balanced and flavors didn't really mesh

[@stevemillerecon]

JW Black is good stuff!

[@Evan-kg8wg]

I really prefer the Black Label to I tried the blue label today and wasn’t really sold on it.

[@robzilla69]

Well that was interesting.

[@donaldrobertson5747]

I wonder if your preference for bourbon affected the rankings. The black and double black are both known for "stronger" flavors and they finished 1 and 3 respectively. The blue got 2nd for "depth" of flavor i.e. complexity or well blended. Just a guess as someone who prefers bourbon, I've found the scotch I prefer tends to be bolder or harsher than most.

[@0529mpb]

Green Label is very good. Blue is the Angel's Envy of scotch.

[@jamesking9807]

The best review of JW Blue I ever read was one sentence: "Johnnie Walker Blue is the Scotch for people with more money than taste."

[@johnmichaeltracy9050]

jwb is a fine scotch for any day. the blue is smooth as can be but not something to drink as a go to because it does cost about three times what its worth. the red is a good inexpensive one to have around. i dont care about the cost to much but just have always enjoyed jw black over the others, there are alot of scotches out on the market that do taste like a tire fire and the walker series dont go there. most establishments i go to have jw black as the standard, heck some have no scotch at all. on some blind tests ive seen, the red hits about the middle of the road and if you mix scotch into drinks its a good one for that. hope you enjoyed your smashing today.

[@jP-nw7nm]

Dude its crazy I know I only drink Islay Scotch when I drink scotch and all they had at my friends wedding was Black Label and I swore I would never drink it. Had it and really enjoyed it! got sweetness smoke etc.

[@ibnkhaldoun4319]

the glasses in order he drinks them, not ranked (i slowed the vid down to make sure) 1st - 18 year 2nd - blue 3rd - double black 4th - green 5th - black 6th - gold reserve

[@Wattbo]

No Red lable?

[@MrChristopherMolloy]

Green label 15 is an all malt whisky, so I'm really surprised you weren't able to pick that out of the lineup? And smoke didn't seem to jump out, but your top 3 were all peated blends. 🥃

[@LeatherDaddy97]

Also another thing to point out is that johnnie walker also sells a gift pack with 4 200ml bottles including gold and blue.....for $70. If you do the math 200 for blue label literally doesnt add up.

[@djbeacon1942]

Agreed. Those kind of sample packs are thevway to go to find out what YOU like.

[@shaimoore8599]

The blue is overpriced but, very smooth. Would like a review on the high rye.

[@briangriffiths7445]

Black label for the win

[@tonysr1983]

I have a 50ml of Johnnie Walker Blue I need to drink. Never had it before but my expectations aren't very high

[@kinoc6901]

Do the same with Macallan… as far as Johnnie I like the cheap one better than the Blue too!

[@calvinhood6494]

Please review John Walker & Son’s: King George V 🙏🏾

[@staiain]

I'm here because of a character in the show supernatural had this line: "You know, I don't even bother drinking unless it's this stuff. Nectar of the gods, I'm telling you." I guess I just saved 150 dollars

[@seanchicago2836]

WOW!

[@philc1884]

Jason, your advanced palate is way too evolved for these 80pr simpletons.😁 That said, the blk was my first exposure to scotch. Solid pour though I never thought it or the other releases were special. I'm thankful though that they sparked a curiosity and eventually lead me to bourbon. I can't tell you how many free Johnny Walker tasting events I went to in the early 2000's. I can still hear those kilted ambassadors w their exaggerated Scottish accents taking us through a flight. Haven't seen that sort of brand promotion since.

[@Bharur]

Very fun video but great content. Finally price doesn't make a good whiskey.

[@danielmcevoy976]

I'm the only remaining "blended Scotch" lover on the planet probably...after 35 years of sipping I'm not surprised by the results considering your a Bourbon guy. Blind lineups is no way to get any subtleties out of blends that are low proof. There aren't many blends left that are good. Black 12 is still my daily. Gold for sunsets on the back patio and I do love the Blue for a nightcap... it's a unique blend that I'm willing to pay for. Most of the people who say it's not worth it either haven't actually had it or don't know a thing about blended Scotch anyway wich is fine....it won't run out for me 😅

[@jackthepickledhound]

You may have a point in you agreement with Jason's#1 pick. There must be something to a 40%er. There's enough of buying bought. I think of single malts as tubes of oil paint. They may be beautiful as individual colors. You may be able to analyze them down to the component characteristics but you can't make a painting out of one. As a single malt drinker/collector I have not the time, money nor space to get involved with blends. Any infinity bottles or mixtures I created myself seemed to flop. So I do have great respect for master blenders knowing that I'll never have that skill. I'm not sure how we got to a point where we relish cask strength and accept a youthful whisky but it's almost a cult.

[@tommyrq180]

This is NEW Green. Old Green is the bomb. I bought multiple bottles before they canceled it. When they brought it back it wasn’t as good as the old mix.

[@TheMashandDrum]

I've heard that. Need some old green

[@subashbist-p8o]

Were is red label

[@seanpowers7107]

The Green Label changes every few years, so it's better or worse depending on the blend. I'd rather have the Green than the Blue myself, at least the 2020 blend of Green Label.

[@kuhnhan]

In Narita airport the duty free store offered free samples of Black Label and Blue Label. I couldn't tell the difference. Blue Label is just for conspicuous consumption to show others that you can afford expensive booze. The quality doesn't match the price.

[@wwrussell180]

There are so many better Scotch whiskys that are also 1/3rd the cost. Arran 10, Deanston 12, Benriach Smokey 12, just to name a few. The Green label is a dram. I am glad that I have tried the Blue. I'm also glad that I've never purchased a bottle!

[@pizzawarlord9232]

Love blinds, still hate the basic black 😂 Only have JW at friend’s houses. Just not my jam I guess as never enjoyed them much

[@JazznRealHipHop]

I about agree with everything in this lineup. Green just never appealed to me for whatever reason, and despite it being almost universally the favorite of scotch fans. All of them are decent but Blue and both the blacks have always been my favorites. I gotta laugh you didn’t even include red 😆

[@Glock2201]

That's crazy that the cheapest one won the blind. To me the Blue label is very good but I like the 18 and Gold label a ton as well. I have not had the other 3 but I do not care for their red label. Curious to know if you have ever repeated one of these blinds a month or 2 later to see how the results come out again. I think sometimes your palate can change from day to day when it comes to whiskey. Some taste great or bad all the time but some to me are hit or miss.

[@TheMashandDrum]

It definitely can change. I did this again with the 18 coming out on top.

[@kurtanderson5349]

The poor man's Blue, IMO, is the very refined Johnny Walker Swing, which is similarly honeyed, delicate and with at least some of the firmness .

[@danephillips857]

I just wanna point out if you do like the blue, like myself but wish it had a little more punch on it, the annual releases like “year of the ox” or “year of the tiger” etc. are 46% and 92 proof and actually make quite a bit of a difference if you ask me. Cheers! P.S. I said I like the blue, not shocked the black won, especially when you are predominantly a bourbon drinker

[@djbeacon1942]

The Blew is a very nice scotch but not anywhere near over 200. Many more interesting and enjoyable at 100 and under.

[@duanecovert2885]

200 yrs of marketing, they know how to sell there product

[@alekpd2940]

The power of marketing 😂

[@TammyDoron]

Label graphics along with the tastings would be helpful. If the purpose of these vids is just to hold your breath til end to know what is what, then there you go. But for me, by the end, I'm confused about what tastes like what.

[@TheMashandDrum]

I get so many mixed comments about that. Lol. Some don't want to know and some do. Not sure what to do. I guess do a mix

[@TammyDoron]

@@TheMashandDrum I hear ya. As a fairly new bourbon - whiskey drinker, I love to be educated about various profiles. Your vids are a basis for my purchase options!

[@ugie38]

No wonder JW Black is World Best Selling Blended Whisky