On the day of celebrating love, I thought it would be worth posting about the Johnnie Walker Celebratory Blend – effectively Diageo’s own love letter to John Walker & Sons.
For the record (and pedantic) this bottling celebrates the 200th anniversary of John Walker & Sons – the business and store that started it all – not 200 years of Johnnie Walker whisky itself.
In testament to its origins, this limited edition release follows the stylings of John Walker & Sons’ first commercial release: their Old Highland Whisky. Dating back to the 1860s, the white labelled bottle (informally Johnnie Walker White) was the predecessor and then contemporary to the now ever-prevalent Red Label and Black Label. The packaging uses that signature square bottle and slanted label, and is encased in a smart, clean magnetic card box, the inside of which is adorned with the only remaining picture of their original Kilmarnock grocery shop.
Another nod to their forefathers’ craft is that this blend has been made to follow recipe notes from the original Old Highland Whisky bottlings and only uses whiskies from distilleries that were running their stills at the time! [ed: the distilleries are unnamed here though some research could really narrow it down]
This whisky has been bottled at their original recipe strength of 51.7% ABV and, despite being a 2020 limited run. some bottles are still available – priced around £60 at the time of writing. Not much information is available about the whisky components, but the bottle does contain the German market’s required “Mit Karamel” denoting that (as with most Johnnie Walkers) the bottled liquid has been coloured with E150 for consistent colouring.
Nose
Very sweet and fruity. Apple turnovers are the first thing I’ve noted. Apple, vanilla, and toffee are the most dominant influences. A little bit of cinnamon spice and a teeny tiny whiff of smoke – not necessarily peaty smoke, but more like a little wood smoke.
Taste
The toffee flavour really leads the way here. A soft buttery texture and sugary sweet start the proceedings and it does linger. A little tang of sharp apple starts to break the soft fudgy and vanilla ice cream notes before a noticeable firey build-up of cinnamon and ginger spices complement a big alcohol heat. There’s a final buttery-toast sensation courtesy of warming malts, peat smoke, and a little touch of bitterness.
Finish
The fiery spices tingle and die down to leave sweet vanilla fudge and raisins.
Verdict
A perfectly pleasant if not unremarkable sipper. No one feature really stands out other than it delivering hallmark Johnnie Walker notes across a good blend and balance with a touch of smoke. It does benefit from the 51.7% strength though. If that’s too much, then be warned that a bit of water does strip out those tangier and fruitier elements and brings it all back to just toffee and vanilla.
The design of the packaging and image of the original Kilmarnock grocery store are pretty cool, as are the nods to the brands origins. I don’t want to be a snob, but there is something about using a thin foil screw cap that cheapens the experience. But then, by contrast, it is encased in a gorgeous looking and tactile box with a magnetic strip that gives an oh-so-satisfying snap when it closes.
That said, I’ve had my eye on this one for a while now and have bought into the whole story behind it. I can see me going through it very quickly. Luckily, patience paid off as the bottle was on offer at the time that I bought this, and I was then able to bring the price down further by using the various points benefits from having the malts.com Malts Club account. Being honest, I would say that, if I’d have paid full price then I’d be a bit disappointed. As it stands, I basically paid half price and that seems fair. The story behind it is a conversation piece at least and I would also love to know the distilleries that have gone into this.
This is not to be confused with the Bicentenary Blend, which was also released at the time to make the 200th anniversary but carried a significantly higher price tag. Thats what a 28 year old age statement blend containing whiskies from closed/“ghost” distilleries will do!
Possibly a case of carrying more style over substance but a satisfying and easy sipper nonetheless and certainly one that Johnnie Walker fans would buy into and get along with easily.
M
Sample disclosure: This bottle was my own purchase. All notes are intended as an honest, fair, and independent review of the whisky, and not as a promotion. Please drink responsibly. Please drink wisely.
whisky unplugged 
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