Johnnie Walker Black

To pay my respects to Christopher Hitchens, I finally mustered up the courage to purchase a glass of his favorite scotch today while dining at an upscale restaurant. I ordered a glass of Johnnie Walker Black.

As some of the video bloggers suggested, I attempted to smell the smoke aroma of the drink. All I could smell was extremely strong alcohol which was proceeded by a burning sensation in my eyes.

The first half of the drink was painfully strong. The second half had no burning at all, but by that point my sense of taste was gone, preventing me from appreciating the drink entirely.

My favorite aspect of Johnnie Walker Black is that it sneaks up on you with a strong, warm buzz, while at the same time allowing you to maintain your same level of intellectual capacity as though you were sober. I can't say the same thing for wine or martinis. With those drinks, when I begin to feel tipsy, I become forgetful and not concise. With Johnnie Walker Black, it feels like a higher quality of drunkenness!

My question to my fellow drinkers-- If I continue drinking Johnnie Walker Black and persevering drink's painful burning sensation, over the years will I eventually appreciate the flavors of this scotch?

I have enjoyed the various types of whiskey or whisky for over 12 yrs. I love the taste and smell of it. Yes, it gets better as you age, lol.

Try the blue.

Yes, the more you drink it the better you will become at noticing the subtle flavors.

That stuff is weak. What is it like 90 proof
at best? I'm suprised you don't taste it's
nuances already. That's why they water
the stuff down.

That's why I prefer Bookers.
The only unfiltered undiluted straight
from the barrel firewater on the market.
Toffee/smokey caramel, buttery maple
undertones sharp finish.

Drink straight room temp.

As for christopher....he's in for a suprise.

Before I start let me explain, I have CONSIDERABLE experience in these matters:

First off, all whiskeys (and whiskys) should be drank with a little water or a couple cubes of ice. Never neat. There is a nose component in whiskeys which is activated with the introduction of water. After adding the water, smell the whiskey, you'll notice a big difference.

Second when drinking a whiskey (or any alcohol for that matter) you want to sip, roll the liquor over your tongue. Different taste buds (sweet, bitter, etc.) are on different parts of the tongue. Keep you mouth close when doing this an do not breathe through your mouth while tasting. This helps minimize the oxidation and allows you to experience the taste components of the liquor while minimizing the "burn" of the alcohol.

Water and a closed mouth will change your scotch experience dramatically, trust me.

p.s. JW Black fans, if you haven't tried the double black, it is an interesting twist, a lot of wood and smoke, but not heavy on the dirt. Still light like JW is famous for, but with deeper and richer.

When it comes to scotch, My personal favorite is 12 yr. Single malt Glenfiddich. Incredibly smooth.

As a less expensive option I really like bushmills, which is an Irish whisky. It has a "bit o' the bog" flavor to it.

Just my personal tastes. After sampling most of what's on the market.

Sympy.

If you want a cask strength no watered down version of scotch, try the Nadurra. It is between 114%-117% proof and is aged 16 years. Firewater.

I am something of a scotch officianado and Old Tger is quite correct in his application of water. However, as I was taught the first taste is always taken neet, then you apply a few drops of spring water to the liquor to open up the aromas and allow the bouquet to develop.

I am a big fan of single malts and one of mr favorites is the McAllen 25 year old cask strength. It is sharp on the initial taste but opens up beautifully with a bit of water where you hardly notice any edge anymore but as it goes down there is a tremendous warming sensation as you begin to experience the smokeyness of the peat flavors.

In fact I think I will pour one right now and raise spirited glass in honor of my fellow scotch appreciating comrades!

FYI. This thread has the potential of starting something great. I would be down for an evening of scotch tasting if others wish to join in. Perhaps something might be arranged?

Lagavulin man myself.....

Lagavulin man myself..... Originally Posted by oldtiger

Oh yeah! My xmas present to myself this year.

Oh yeah! My xmas present to myself this year. Originally Posted by Altbier

Nice. I got myself a double with Sonya & Melina. LOL

I, too, would be interested in that as I've got a lot to learn. I'm willing to throw ~$.8 - $1 or so on a bottle of some good stuff, such as Johnnie Walker Blue, if anyone is interested. I'm not an event organizer though LOL. =P

I am something of a scotch officianado and Old Tger is quite correct in his application of water. However, as I was taught the first taste is always taken neet, then you apply a few drops of spring water to the liquor to open up the aromas and allow the bouquet to develop.

I am a big fan of single malts and one of mr favorites is the McAllen 25 year old cask strength. It is sharp on the initial taste but opens up beautifully with a bit of water where you hardly notice any edge anymore but as it goes down there is a tremendous warming sensation as you begin to experience the smokeyness of the peat flavors.

In fact I think I will pour one right now and raise spirited glass in honor of my fellow scotch appreciating comrades!

FYI. This thread has the potential of starting something great. I would be down for an evening of scotch tasting if others wish to join in. Perhaps something might be arranged? Originally Posted by Rakhir

Of course my iPhone auto spell screwed me over on the spelling of Macallan before I could. correct spelling. However due to a pm sent to me on this threads topic I have had something of an epiphany.

Who would be in favor of a scotch "stone soup" gathering. We set a price point on scotch's and put a list to sample. Then each person brings a bottle from the list and we all meet up to share our bottles for the tasting event. It would be relatively easy to find a place for this along with some food as well.

Perhaps an informal head count here could get us started?

I'll bring a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label. Maybe something else too if I can think of it.

Just for clarification, you guys collectively agree that I need to put some water in my glass of scotch, as the water allows the scotch to have more flavors exposed, right?

I got a bottle of JW Blue from a client one year for christmas, VERY expensive turpentine that stuff.