Johnnie Walker is a name synonymous with great value, consistency of quality and having a long heritage. Most of us know about the varying colours of the Johnnie Walker family: Red, Black, Green, Gold and Blue, with the last being reassuringly expensive at around £150. But did you know there are Johnnie Walker whiskies which are far more expensive than that? There is even an expression that cost £100,000 + VAT!
The “Diamond Jubilee” was created in 2012 for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee which celebrated her 60 years on the throne. The spirit was distilled in 1952 but it’s not only the whisky you are paying for. It comes in a Baccarat decanter on a crystal base, the stopper is Britannia silver and there are diamonds woven into the design. Further even than that, the casks used to marry the whisky are made from oak grown on The Queen’s Sandringham estate. They had been lightly toasted and seasoned with Pedro Ximenez sherry and then grain whisky.
The cabinet housing the bottle is handmade from Sandringham oak and pine from The Queen’s Balmoral estate. And there is even more: the book which accompanies it is hand bound on the Isle of Skye by Laura West and the writing done in calligraphy by Sally Mangum. Finally, there were only 60 bottles available, plus one for Her Majesty.
Luckily with Johnnie Walker, one doesn’t normally have to spend £100,000 to get some very fine whisky. Beyond the regular Johnnie Walker colours range there are some super-premium treats at a much more reasonable price point than the Diamond Jubilee expression. Here are a few of my favourites, including one at £60 which will surprise:
Johnnie Walker XR 21 Year Old Blended Whisky
A 21 year old blended whisky inspired by the Johnnie Walker Master Blender Alexander Walker II. It is a whisky full of both lemon and orange citrus with a finish of dried fruits soaked in sherry.
ABV: 40%
SIZE: 70cl
Buy it now for £147
Johnnie Walker - Blue Label Ghost & Rare series - Port Ellen
A complex blend of many of the usual whiskies that go into Johnnie Walker Blue label, with the added component of some old whisky from Port Ellen distillery, (which closed in 1983) the stocks of which are very rare. This whisky has all the hallmarks of Blue Label, but the salinity and peat come through gently from the Port Ellen.
ABV: 43.8%
Size: 70cl
Buy it now for £253
Johnnie Walker King George V
King George V is a very special edition of blended whisky from Johnnie Walker. Packaged beautifully, it is clearly a super-premium product. It was created to celebrate the Royal Warrant bestowed upon the company by the monarch. This is made with some of Johnnie Walker's rarest stocks, including Cardhu, Lochnagar and even Port Ellen.
ABV: 43%
Size: 70cl
Buy it now for £532
Johnnie Walker - Private Collection 2018, Midnight Blend, 28 yr old
A whisky made for drinking after dinner, hence the name Midnight Blend. This is the final edition in the Private collection series, started in 2014. Only 3,888 bottles were created for the world market. It is known to have malt whiskies from the four corners of Scotland giving lots of complexity, mainly butterscotch, caramel and toffee with a touch of spice.
ABV: 42.8%
Size: 70cl
Buy it now for £650
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Johnnie Walker - Blue Label Ghost and Rare Series – Brora
This is the first in the Ghost and Rare series and some might say the best. Like the previous Ghost and Rare, which drew upon Port Ellen, Brora distillery in this expression closed its doors in 1983 and is extremely rare and holds cult status amongst whisky aficionados.
ABV: 46%
Size: 70cl
Buy it now for £735
Johnnie Walker - Excelsior - 1947 50 year old Whisky
If you really fancy pushing the boat out, then this extremely hard to find whisky is on Amazon today! Distilled in 1947 and released at 50 years old in 1997 it epitomises the brand and its complex blends. Just think, for around 100 times less than the Diamond Jubilee, this whisky was distilled five years earlier, and is still 50 years old.
ABV: 43%
Size: 70cl
Buy it now for £1049
Johnnie Walker aged 18 years old
Back down to earth on the price, but not on the flavour, front is this 18 year old blended whisky from Johnnie Walker. It is a great whisky and, for me, gives the best bang for buck in the Johnnie Walker range. It is very smooth and complex and although it says 18 on the label, there are some whiskies in this blend that are quite a bit older.
ABV: 40%
Size: 40%
Buy it now for £60
For more on Johnnie Walker’s colours get the low down from our previous article and if you are just starting out on your whisky adventure, we have a quick guide to help you on your way.