Johnnie Walker 15 Sherry Cask Gift Box

Description

Johnnie Walker’s 15 Sherry achieves its objective by injecting into the blend a greater proportion of ex-sherry casks.  Interestingly, the official press release makes no mention of finishing, but implies that whiskies that have spent their full lives maturing in ex-sherry butts and hogsheads have been worked into the blend.  Regular Black Label is already a reasonably complex and well-rounded blend as is, but the Sherry Edition also makes use of malt from Blair Athol, Cardhu and Strathmill to enhance the blend’s flavour profile – specifically looking for fresh orchard fruits, sweet vanilla, and some gentle smoke.

Tasting Notes

Nose:  Nosing straight off the bat early on a Sunday morning without any preceding drinks, it’s surprising just how good the nose of regular Black Label actually is, with strong vanilla and grain cutting through the light spice.  In contrast, the Sherry Edition has a distinctive high note of fruit – particularly red currants.  There’s also some wood resin, a touch more spice (cinnamon and star anise), and raspberries.

Palate:  Moving straight from the regular Black Label to the Sherry Edition, the palate of the latter definitely reflects some sherry influence, although don’t be expecting dollops of oloroso or something akin to a Glendronach or Glenfarclas!  The palate is drier, there’s a touch of tannins and drier oak, and the dial is turned up slightly on those spices.  There’s some white pepper in the mix, oak-driven vanilla, and a slight spike of barley malt.

Finish:  The finish is spicier, with a wee bit of heat and an ashy dryness that lingers a little longer.