Produced by marrying whiskies matured in heavily charred oak casks and handpicked whiskies from the West Coast of Scotland, the Double Black Label features a distinctively natural smoky flavor with the characters of Johnnie Walker Black Label embodied in a lingering, full-bodied variant.
It’s a perfect blended Scotch whisky to be enjoyed at home, and also makes an amazing gift for someone who admires smoky whiskies and looks forwards to something new. The blend is inspired by the iconic flavors of Black Label, accentuated with layers of spice and unparalleled smoky intensity.
While enjoying a dram of this spirit, you can enjoy an explosion of flavors with rich and fruity notes, combined with the sweet aroma of clove and creamy vanilla, and ending with a long smoky finish. The drink is best enjoyed over ice with smooth effervescent ginger ale and fresh orange wheel.
How Is This Whisky Made?
This rebellious younger sibling of Johnnie Walker Black Label goes through an interesting five-step process before providing you with the prominent full-bodied experience:
- Malting
It’s a process where cereals are converted into soluble sugars. This is usually done naturally when the cereal germinates, which is why hot water is poured into the mixture and warmed up to conduct what’s known as malting.
- Drying
When the cereal is ready, it’s dried in a kiln and sometimes, peat is also added to the mixture to facilitate the drying process and provide a smoky flavor to the whisky. Then, the dried cereal is ground in a mill for the next process to take place.
- Fermentation
During the fermentation process, the essential sugars are drawn out of the mixture by again mixing the cereals with hot water. This produces a sweet, sugary liquid that’s required to be separated off and cooled down. Once done, yeast is added to the mixture and it’s prepared for fermentation – just like beer!
- Distillation
The spirit is distilled at least two times to enhance the intensity of the flavor. It’s done by boiling the liquor in large copper containers, often termed as stills. The more the copper comes in contact with the spirit, the stronger the taste gets.
- Maturation
Lastly, the distilled product is then transferred into oak casks to mature for at least three years. The casks leave an impression on various aspects of this whisky, such as its color, flavor, as well as finish. It imparts nearly half of the flavor from the aging process and barrels.
Johnnie Walker Double Black Label Tasting Notes
Nose – On the nose, the blended whisky features a delicious scent of sweet smoke and cloves
Palate – The whisky has a peaty taste with subtle hints of raisins, tropical orange, and fresh apples combined with creamy vanilla flavors
Finish – It has an appealingly long and warming finish with spices smoldering from oak-aged casks and a powerful lingering smokiness
Bottom Line
Being the younger sibling of the worldwide-known Johnnie Walker Black Label, the Double Black reached the general audience in 2011, post its launch in the travel retail segment. It adds up even more to the iconic profile of the Black Label by involving more heavily charred casks and Islay whisky.
This provides it with a more intense flavor and smokiness while maintaining the sophistication of the Johnnie Walker style. Therefore, if you’re looking for a capable whisky that provides an intense essence for yourself or as a gift for someone, the Double Black Label will certainly do the job for you.
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