From £60 to £100K: The Beauty of Johnnie Walker

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

https://amzn.to/3cfT9fo

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.

We Ranked Every Ardbeg Day Special Release By Its Smokiness

Every year since Ardbeg’s iconic Alligator was created for Ardbeg Day, there has been an annual release. Mickey Heads, the distillery manager at Ardbeg, has been there for every single one but he has now announced his retirement. He will still be there for this year’s Ardbeg day release and we wait with anticipation to see what it is. In the meantime, we rank all of the non committee releases so far in reverse order with classic smoky Ardbeg in mind, so from subtle to smoke bomb.

Ardbeg is smoky by nature, so on a 1 to 20 scale of smoky whiskies Ardbeg starts at 10.

First of all, here is the list in order of release:

2011 – Alligator
2012 – Day
2013 – Ardbog
2014 – Auriverdes
2015 – Perpetuum
2016 - Dark Cove
2017 – Kelpie
2018 – Grooves
2019 – Drum 

The Ranking

 No.9 Auriverdes

Released in time for the football World Cup in Brazil. Auriverdes means gold and green, which are the colours of the Brazilian flag. Tasting Note: A lighter style of Ardbeg. Easy going sweet vanilla and lemons. There is still smoke, but it is not immediately identifiable as Ardbeg. Muscovado sugar and chocolate appear later in the palate.

ABV: 49.9%
Smoke rating: 10/20 
Buy now for £193

No.8 Drum

In the tradition of Ardbeg being an innovator, this whisky is firstly matured in ex bourbon casks, and extra matured in rum casks. Tasting note: Bonfire wood mixed with lots of ripe bananas and pineapples. Spices on the palate with ginger, liquorice and vanilla.

ABV: 46%
Smoke rating: 12/20
Last auction Price: £70

No.7 Perpetuum

Created for the 200th anniversary of Ardbeg distillery, this whisky is a mixture of many cask types intended to give great complexity and harmony. Fresh citrus, toffee and figs head up a smoky background. There is a creamy mouthfeel and lots of dark chocolate.

ABV: 47.4%
Smoke rating: 13/20
But it now for £143

No.6 Grooves

Grooves is so named as the casks used were very well charred ex red wine casks which resulted in deep groves on the inside of the cask resulting in a greater surface area for the spirit to interact with. Tasting note: lots of American oak flavours of vanilla, toffee and popcorn. Salty savoury bacon with chilli, tempered with toffee apples. Old leather-bound books linger in the background.

ABV: 46%
Smoke rating: 14/20
Buy now for £250

No.5 Day

Using sherry casks in the maturation gives waves of flavour through waves of smoke and peat. Still balanced, this whisky is made for peat heads who also love sherried whisky. Huge mouth feel, big and rich whisky, waves of peat and sherry wash over the palate. This whisky is full, rounded and luscious.

ABV: 56.7%
Smoke rating: 15/20
Buy now for £525

No.4 Kelpie

This whisky is named after the mythical animals of legend around Islay. Kelpies were shape shifting spirits which usually appeared as horses or ponies. But they were maleficent creatures, and although seeming tame, and particulary friendly to children, once mounted the rider would not be able to dismount and would be dragged to the bottom on the ocean or river and eaten.

ABV: 46%
Smoke rating: 16/20
Buy it now for £190

No.3 Ardbog

Matured in Manzanilla sherry casks, this whisky has a big smoky punch, but is sweetened by the extra maturation in sherry casks. Undeniably Ardbeg, big and smoky and very dry. Sweetness coming from raisins and there is an underlying rich nutty flavour.

ABV: 52.1%
Smoke rating: 16.5/20
Buy it now for £315

No.2 Dark Cove

This is the darkest Ardbeg day release and is a bit of a beast. You’ll either love it or hate it as the smoke is full on and the rich oily iodine nature of the whisky is very in your face. Underlying all that power are  lots of dried fruits such as raisins and dates. Smouldering charcoal and spice with beeswax bring you to smoked meats and salty seaweed.

ABV: 46.5%
Smoke rating: 17/20
But now for £262

No.1 Alligator

At first this expression split the whisky community. It has all the hallmarks of a classic Ardbeg but is also much more. The heavy char of the casks brings the peaty smoke right to the fore with the charred nature of the cask adding even more smokiness. But there is huge complexity too with lots of citrus in the form of grapefruit and lemon, with ginger and orange zest backing that up. There is also sweetness with ginger biscuits and icing sugar and cocoa in the background. Intense smoke runs throughout the dram.

ABV: 51.2%
Smoke rating: 18/20
Buy it now for £472

So why didn’t we go up to 20/20 you ask? Because there are even smokier whiskies than Ardbeg for example Octomore from Bruichladdich distillery, which, depending on the batch is more like a 30/20!

10 Cheap Whiskies That Taste Expensive

Words by Colin Hampden-White

There are whiskies out there that don’t cost very much at all and yet they taste like they cost a fortune. So that you don’t have to buy hundreds of bottles to find out which ones they are, we have done all the ‘hard’ work for you. Here’s a list of fabulous whiskies that taste incredible but don’t cost the earth, ordered from light and elegant to rich and smoky:

1: Glenmorangie Original

Top of the light and elegant list has to be Glenmorangie Original. This whisky isn’t even listed as a NAS (Non Age Statement) whisky. It is ten years old and 40% Vol. Since 1843 Glenmorangie have been perfecting a light, elegant fruity whisky with lots of orange and vanilla flavours.

Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: UK £33.99 // US $52.99

2: Glen Moray Classic

Still light and fruity, but with a little more body there is Glen Moray Classic. With flavours of green apples and lemons, it is an easy going satisfying single malt from Speyside at 40% and is our favourite single malt under £30!

Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: UK £22.94 // US $34.99

3: Tomintoul

This whisky is from a distillery hardly anyone will have heard of. Tomintoul is a highland distillery which has an excellent 16 year old single malt at 40%. It is an elegant whisky with plenty of flavour including coffee, boiled sweets, almonds and melted butter with vanilla fudge and cream. This whisky is the best 16 year old at this price on the market.

Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: UK £49.94 // US $64.99

4: Hunter Laing

Whiskies sold by the distilleries that make them tend to be more expensive than those released by independent bottlers. Independent companies bottle whiskies which are made all over Scotland, blend their own whiskies and represent incredible value and more often than not taste a great deal more expensive than they cost. My favourite independent blend is from Hunter Laing. Highland Journey is mixture of highland single malt whiskies and is a bold and complex malted blend at a great strength of 46.2%.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 46.2%
Find here: £32.99

5: Old Pulteney 12

For a rich, but spirit led whisky with lots of saline character from the far north of Scotland, Old Pulteney 12 is a whisky at 40% which punches way above its price tag. It’s more difficult to get your hands on now but you can still pick up a bottle for under £30 and it tastes like double that.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: £25.99

6: Glenfiddich 15

For a whisky which has a more sherried character, Glenfiddich 15 is about as good as it gets for bang for buck. It’s a powerful whisky with spices and sweetness all rolled into one. There is a good amount of oak on the palate making the whisky seem older than it is and at 40% for under £45 it is a bargain waiting to be savoured.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: £47.69

7: Roe and Co

Whisky doesn’t have to come from Scotland, and some of the best tasting whiskies come from Ireland. A new whisky to Ireland is Roe and Co. Made with a high proportion of first fill bourbon casks with grain and malt whisky this tastes well above its price tag of a touch under £30. It is non chill filtered to keep more flavour and at 45% it is perfect for mixing!

Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 45%
Find here: UK £29.88 // US $32.99

8: Johnnie Walker Black Label

Touching on the world of smokey whisky, this whisky is the best value on the list. It is a blend and has a bit of everything. It has an age statement of 12 years old but there are much older whiskies in the blend too so the taste has a hint of aged whiskies to it. There is a mix of sherry and bourbon oak casks blended to give lots of complexity and a hint of smoke as well. A favourite for many in the whisky industry Johnnie Walker Black Label at 40% is as good as it gets. For our UK followers, it can be found for only £20 at the moment (09.11.21) on Amazon.

Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: UK £26.89 // US $33.99

9: Dailuaine 16

For the last two we have some slightly more expensive drams, but they too taste like they should cost well above their price band. The first is Dailuaine 16 from the Flora and Fauna range from Diageo. This whisky is complex and full bodied yet smooth and rich. Lots of dried fruit flavours and very well integrated oaky flavours which one expects to find in whiskies much older than this. It is at 43%. Expect to pay a little under £60 for this delicious dram.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 43%
Find here: £57.90

10: Ardbeg An Oa

Whiskies from Islay tend to cost a little more. There is a huge following for peated whiskies and finding those whiskies which have lots of smoke, but also rich fruity flavours and spice is tricky and can be expensive. However, An Oa from Ardbeg has all of those characteristics, it still has the punchy smoky flavours one expects from Ardbeg, but there is sweetness and balance to it too and at 46.6% the strength is good too.

Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 46.6%
Find here: UK £41.99 // US $58.99

*This article was originally published in March 2020 and has now been updated (Sept 2022) to reflect the current change in prices. For more whisky goodness, why not check out The Best Japanese Whiskies to Try or The Best Whiskies in the World

Waterford Distillery - It boils down to soil

Photo Credit: Waterford Distillery

In the wine world we are used to the idea of terroir being one of the most important factors in flavour. Similarly, in the world of whisky the idea of place and flavour going together is also logical and widely-known, for example the peaty whiskies from Islay and Sherry bombs from Speyside. However, in today’s world there is even greater emphasis on flavour than address. Peaty whisky doesn’t just come from Islay, it can come from Glasgow or even Australia for that matter, and sherry styles from Taiwan or Japan, for example in the form of Karuizawa.

Within the new world of whisky and flavour, there is one distillery which believes whole heartedly that a large part of the flavour does in fact come from the land on which the barley is grown, and the variety of barley used. Waterford have their barley grown in eighty six farms across Ireland. Each farm has a different soil type and plants different varieties of the grain. To be certain they can show the difference between them, they ferment and distil the barley from the different farms separately.

I’ve been to Waterford and tasted new-make spirit from at least a dozen different farms and varieties, all fermented and distilled the same way, and the difference is remarkable. One of my questions was: why do they do it? There are two simple answers. Firstly, with lots of different new-make spirits, once matured they have a huge palate of flavours to play with when they blend them together to make their whisky. The second reason is to be able to taste the difference if they do single farm bottlings. Waterford are about to launch their inaugural whisky, and within this whisky there is spirit blended from thirty six farms. We await the result with great delight!

The distillery itself is based in Waterford and is not a boutique style distillery. They have two pot stills and the capacity to produce a million litres a year. Their first spirit ran off the stills back on the 9th of December 2015 and production started in January 2016, so by now they certainly have enough casks to create an excellent whisky.

Rare and Independent Whisky Bottlings

For every experience in life, there is a whisky to accompany it. Whether it’s a dram on your porridge or a glass by a fireside late at night, the joy of a good whisky collection is having a choice of a range of bottles to match your mood and the moment.

First published in Club Oenologique.

The Three Drinkers: A Beginner’s Guide to Whisky

Looking to learn a bit more about whisky? Check out our article in Oracle Time magazine where we discuss all things Scotch!

The 12 days of Giftmas - Huge giveway!

To celebrate the launch of Part Two of The Three Drinkers do Scotch Whisky, we’re giving away 12 drinky prizes to 12 winners, picked each day from 1st December. To enter and for all T&Cs, head over to our competition page here!

The Prizes

1st December: Uncle Nearest Bourbon Pair

Two very special Bourbon whiskies from exciting brand Uncle Nearest. The whiskey honours a former slave called Nathan ‘Nearest’ Green who was the first premium distiller in Tennessee and even taught a certain Mr Jack Daniels. These whiskies by Nearest Green Distillery honour ‘‘the best whiskey maker the world never knew... until now’. The 1856 RRP £55 & the 1884 small batch whiskey is RRP £45 but not yet available in the UK. Find out more here.

2nd December Old Bakery Gin & Rum

We’re loving this brand new, yet super old, small batch distillery gin that has made a big splash on the likes of Dragon’s Den. When owner Ian Puddick bought an old bakery in London’s Palmers Green, he discovered a centuries old illicit distillery on the premises and set about sourcing original recipes. They now have three gins and a rum, which has just been released. Yum! Gin RRP £38 Rum. RRP £43. Find out more here.

3rd December Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia 2015 MAGNUM

Our friends at Armit Wines have offered a magnum of red wine from one of Italy’s most famous Tuscan wine estates: Ornellaia. Le Serre Nuove is an elegant, silky blend of Bordeaux varietals. Drinking now but will keep! See more here.

4th December: Coravin Model One Black

The original Coravin gadget that allows you to have a glass of wine without pulling the cork! It works by sending a needle through the cork and replacing the wine with inert argon gas. Genius! RRP £199 See more here.

5th December Giant Glencairn Glass

Remember the oversized glass from our Loch Ness episode? Well, award-winning family business Glencairn Crystal - creators of the whisky industry’s favourite glass - is offering you the opportunity to win a limited-edition giant Glencairn Glass. The oversized version is 12 inches tall and can hold just over three bottles, or nearly 100 drams! Collectable, with only a small number made each year. This glass is worth is worth over £150.  See more here.

6th December: 30 year old ‘Blue Flower’ Baijiu

Photo credit: Cheng International Co. Limited

Baijiu is the world’s most popular spirit but have you heard of it? This stunning, grain spirit from China has many guises, but we love this elegant, 30 year old ‘blue flower’ Baijiu from Fenjiu. It’s pretty rare and has an RRP of £150. See more @fenjiu_london

7th December: Ice Cool Luxury Wine Cooler

These compact Ice Cool Wine Coolers are beautiful and practical. They maintain the temperature of a wide range of bottles yet take up less space than an ice bucket and don’t get the label wet! Available in a variety of finishes and with a personal engraving. See more here.

8th December: Master of Malt 6 Month Whisky Dram Club Subscription

Our friends at Master of Malt are offering six months worth of their Dram Club subscription to one lucky winner! You’ll receive five carefully selected whiskies worth up to £100 a bottle, right to your door. Read more about them here.

9th December: Eto wine decanter

The decanter reinvented, Eto is a work of art that works as a decanter and a wine preserver at the same time. It works by displacing air thus not allowing wine to spoil for up to 2 weeks. Perfect for that one (!) glass in the evening and keeping the rest. RRP £125-145. See more here.

10th December:  Frapin 1270 Cognac and Cocktail Kit

Frapin 1270 is a versatile cognac which can be enjoyed neat or mixed, thanks to its great aromatic richness. Win a full size 70cl bottle, two cocktail glasses and a cocktail mixing kit with all the essentials you need to start mixing like a pro and impress your friends with classic Cognac cocktails such as Mint Julep, Side Car and Old Fashioned. Prize worth over £100. See more at @cognacfrapinofficial

11th December:  Armand de Brignac Brut Gold Champagne

Gold Brut is the most iconic cuvée in the Champagne Armand de Brignac range and is created using the old world traditions of champagne blending. This prestige cuvée is a trio of vintages from some of the most highly-praised terroirs in the region and expresses vibrant fresh fruit character, and layers of complexity. RRP £300. See more here.

12th December: Personalised bottle of 18 year old Highland Park

A rich and fruity 18 year old Highland single malt bottled in 2019, this whisky from The Whisky Exchange is limited edition (only 276 bottles) and will arrive personalised with a message of your choice. Prize worth £99.95. See more at @whiskyexchange

The Three Drinkers' Definitive Scotch Whisky Buying Guide 2019

Whisky has never been a hotter commodity. Globally, sales are at the largest they’ve ever been and value-wise, Knight Frank just described whisky as the best alternative investment of 2019. Sometimes however, we just want to drink the stuff. Want to get into whisky or pick up a bottle for a friend or parent? Start with the original: Scotch whisky. Here are some epic drams for every occasion, style and budget:

For the Whisky Novice

Wonderfully accessible in both style and price point, these three classic whiskies are hard to beat:

Glen Moray Classic Single Malt (£21, 40%, 70cl)

Think shortbread, lemongrass and butterscotch. Stockist: Glen Moray.

Johnnie Walker Black Label (£20, 40%, 70cl)

Smooth and creamy blended whisky with toffee notes and a touch of fig. Great alone, with ice or with a mixer. Stockist: Amazon.

Glenmorangie 10 year ‘The Original’ (£29.50, 40%, 70cl)

Un-peated, floral and citrussy, this a gorgeous single malt. Stockist: Master of Malt

For the Wine Lover

Many distilleries have taken to ‘finishing’ their whiskies in wine casks for extra depth of flavour and to create a wider range of editions. Lovers of whisky and wine, give these a go:

Glen Moray Port Cask Finish (£25, 40% abv, 70cl)

Sweet, dried fruit, vanilla and spice from eight months ageing in port pipes. Stockist: Glen Moray.

The Balvenie Doublewood 12 year (£38.75, 40%, 70cl)

Finished in Oloroso sherry butts, this is a classic, need-to know whisky that’s spicy, nutty and ever so slightly peated. Stockist Master of Malt.

Glenmorangie Nectar d’Or 12 Year (£50.90, 46%, 70cl)

Honey, marmalade and citrus notes shine from extended time in barrels that held Sauternes dessert wine. Stockist: Master of Malt.

For the Mixologist

Purists look away. Whisky can be enjoyed any which way you like it and if that’s with other ingredients, so be it. Here are three that work particularly well in cocktails:

Johnnie Walker Red Label (£20, 40%, 70cl)

A brilliant, inexpensive, smooth whisky that works particularly well with soft drinks and adds a spicy kick to cocktails. Stockist: Tesco and other supermarkets.

Glenfiddich 15 Year (£39.90, 40%, 70cl)

Made with a solera system like sherry, where barrels are constantly topped up, this is a very smart, marzipan and cinnamon-scented whisky that makes a killer Old Fashioned. Stockist: Master of Malt.

Jura Seven Wood (£55, 42%, 70cl)

Matured in seven types of wood from France to Kentucky, this richly fruited, textured and chocolately whisky actually goes well with white wine and a touch of agave syrup to soften the wood influence. Stockist: Master of Malt.

For the Collector

If this person really know their hogsheads from their butts, try one of these stunning, off-the-beaten track whiskies that will doubtless increase in value if you can keep your hands off them:

Fettercairn 1997, Aged 21 Years, Cask Strength (£106, 58%, 70cl)

A well-loved if little known distillery that have access to fantastic aged casks. This is all hazelnut, ginger cake and chocolate, which sings with a small drop of water. Stockist The Whisky Exchange.

The Dalmore King Alexander III (£184, 40%, 70cl)

A staggeringly beautiful blend of malts finished in sherry, madeira, marsala, port and bourbon casks. Notes of raspberry, toffee, orange and licorice. Divine! Stockist: The Whisky Exchange.

Invergordon 45 Year Old 1972 - Cask 14772 (£244.98, 49.6%, 70cl)

This elegantly aged whisky should be wearing a smoking jacket and slippers. Notes of tobacco, walnut and Christmas cake. Stockist: Master of Malt.

Want to know more about your Scotch whisky? You know where to go! The Three Drinkers do Scotch Whisky, streaming on Amazon Prime now!