The whiskey afficianadoes at Johnnie Walker have announced four new blends to celebrate the different Scottish regions.
Each of the four – Islay, Highlands, Speyside and Lowlands – have been aged for 12 years to be part of the Black Label range. All of them are blended malts, aside from the Lowlands bottle, which is a blended Scotch whiskey. Each 42% tipple will set you back £35 for a one-litre bottle.
“The idea is to pull the whiskey apart and really focus in on those four flavours,” Diageo’s George Harper told ScotchWhiskey.com. “We talk about these four flavours within Black Label. It’s many different distilleries that contribute to these flavours. We had to focus on these flavours and work to match distilleries that might have similar – though unique – flavour profiles.”
To that end, Islay is a smokey tipple, while the Speyside and Highland blends offer a fruitier flavour. The Lowlands Scotch’s defining quality, on the other hand, is apparently creaminess, with ex-Bourbon casks used for sweeter characteristics.
The range will begin in global travel retail next month, with the whole range becoming available globally in 2020. It’s not clear how limited edition the whiskies are, but apparently they’re not planned as a permanent fixture.
If the new range doesn’t appeal, you could do worse than read up on our recommendations for the best whiskey you can buy right now. You’re bound to find something that’ll appeal to both your tastebuds and wallet...