The famous Scottish entrepreneur has been producing tea all his life. The business was quite successful, and the company is famous all over the world. After the death of John Walker, his descendants continued the work of his life. They just started releasing ... whiskey. Today, the annual output exceeds 130 million bottles.
The idea pays for itself
By the beginning of 1867, the company was developing a new whiskey blend for Johnny Walker. He was named Old Highland. The resulting drink came to taste and instantly became famous. The grandchildren of Johnny Walker bought their first distillery in 1893. It was a Kardu farm. The enterprise began to powerfully gain momentum, and production rose to a higher level of quality.
By the end of 1908, the distillery owners decided to replace two of their most popular whiskeys: Johnnie Walker Very Special Old Highland Whiskey and the slightly less popular Extra Special Old Highland Whiskey.
And since the end of the winter of 1909 appears in the stores Johnnie Walker Red Label and "Johnny Walker Black Label". The latter is still a fairly well-known drink. He has a very powerful blend of blended scotch tape: more than 40 varieties of first-class whiskey. The drink is aged in special containers for 12-15 years. As a result, there is an adhesive tape with a delicate taste and a soft mysterious fruit-chocolate-vanilla smell, which, disappearing, leaves behind a transparent smoke shade. Both scotch tapes were wildly popular by 1920 and were sold in stores in more than 120 countries.
Another great drink from Johnny Walker is Johnnie Walker Blue Label. Bottles with a similar taste cannot be found. The blend for whiskey with a blue sticker was made up of 16 different in the place of production of alcohols with different taste, smell and age. Usually it is 22-25 years. This gives the drink originality and originality.
The permanent leader of the distillery "Johnny Walker"
But the best that was released by the company is the Johnny Walker Red Label scotch tape. This drink is much younger than the rest, but the bottle with the red label of this distillery is known to admirers of strong alcohol and is one of the best-selling in the world.
The blend for whiskey “Johnny Walker Red Label” was made up of 35 varietal scotch tape with noble aging for at least five years. The base of the mixture is adhesive tape with barely noticeable honey tones - Cardhu. Thanks to this, the drink has a delicate honey aftertaste and subtle notes of smoke and peat. Foodies believe this fragrance is a trademark of Johnny Walker Distillery.
The taste of the drink seems aggressive and rather harsh. These qualities are affected by the youth of whiskey.
In company stores around the world, in addition to the standard Red Label bottle, you can buy a five-liter bottle of Johnny Walker Red Label whiskey. The price is in the range of 6000-8000 rubles.
Specialist notes
Ideally, “Johnny Walker Red Label” has an amber color with rich ginger tones. When light beams hit a glass, reddish glare “walks” on the drink.
The nose feels light ozone freshness mixed with zest of various citruses. The aftertaste of smell is lemon grass.
The taste of the drink is silky, slightly envelops the upper palate and tongue. Thanks to the oak barrels in which it is aged, it has a tart taste and a bright oak flavor.
Bright taste and deep aroma make it possible to use the Red Label as the basis for cocktails. This whiskey is ideally “friendly” with apple juice, Coca-Cola, cherry juice, tonic and smoked snacks. In cocktails in a ratio of one to one will be a great addition to fried meat or fish.
Sommeliers recommend a cigar for aftertaste for lovers of whiskey with a red label in its purest form. The perfect combination.
In our country, at "Johnny Walker Red Label" 0.7 the price is 1500-2500 rubles.
Whiskey should not be drunk in one gulp. Only in small sips and observing the special Scottish law of drinking whiskey. It says: in order to fully experience the taste and aroma of whiskey, be sure to follow the “Four S rule”:
- Sight (to admire) - before the first sip, play a drink in a glass, catch a ray of light.
- Smell (inhale) - “taste” the scent of whiskey.
- Swish (savor) - take the first test sip.
- Splash - add ice, juice or water to open the drink.
And further. Whiskey from Johnny Walker with a red label categorically rejects cakes, pastries, sweets and other sweets.
Why "Johnny Walker Red Label"
Most whiskey fans find the Red Label an ideal value for money. The most striking feature of this whiskey is the absence of a hangover.
Men's advice: drink Johnny Walker whiskey with a red label from tulip-shaped glasses. The best temperature for this whiskey is 20̊ . But sommeliers recommend adding a lot of ice cubes. This slightly reduces aggressiveness and allows you to more deeply feel the bouquet of the fragrance "Johnny Walker Red Label".
The first sip gives spicy honey pleasure. It lifts the mood, and fatigue melts ... The aftertaste is the smell of fruit, covered in smoke, and a light oak shade. If ice is not added, then smoky tones are much brighter.
Female point of view
Ladies love this whiskey for its smell. It does not feel alcohol notes at all. Yes, the smell is slightly harsh, but it's whiskey!
The taste is light bitterness. This is due to the fact that the blend for the Red Label consists mainly of grain spirits. The non-use of malt alcohols indicates the almost complete absence of the natural sweetness of the drink. Therefore, ladies prefer cocktails with the "Johnny Walker Red Label", the price of which (the smallest bottle - 0.2 liters) ranges from 600-800 rubles.
The structure of the drink is oily, the color scheme is saturated. It is very nice to watch him in a glass.
Post scriptum
The popularity of this whiskey from Johnny Walker is so high (according to statistics, 5 bottles are sold every second in the world!) That it has become the most fake scotch tape on the planet.
The manufacturer recommends that the buyer pay attention to the cap. In the original, it is slightly swollen with a small bulge in the center. After recent changes, the cap collar is wider. Now it covers a significant part of the neck. The cap must have John Walker & Sons clearly printed on it.
The rectangular shape of the bottle has beveled corners. The company's designers believe that this gives the bottle "masculinity and muscle." Below, on the front side of the bottle, there is a clearly traced silhouette of a man walking with a cane.
Under it is a ribbon with gold medals won at various competitions and tastings.