London based, the world’s biggest alcohol company, Diageo flagship product is Johnnie Walker, the world’s best-selling Scotch whisky. The brand was founded in 1819 and is known for its various color versions, starting with the cheapest Red Label and ending with the very valuable Blue Label. Launched more than a hundred years ago, Black Label is at second in the color scale, a blend of more than 40 distillates (including Cardhu, Talisker, Lagavulin) and grain alcohol, all aged for at least 12 years. Black Label is very well available in bars and also in almost all grocery stores. In Estonia, a 50 cl bottle costs around €20.

The nose has vanilla, caramel, smoke, floral aroma and slightly dried fruits. The taste is smooth and sweet, with a sherry aroma, a bit of citrus, caramel, smoke, honey and spiciness. The aftertaste has gentle smoke, salty caramel and spiciness. Black Label is a very nice blend of sherryish, smoky and fruity distillates. Well balanced and versatile, smooth and easy to drink. Not very complex but tasty in all senses. Where Red Label is purely for cocktails, Black Label is a decent sipper. However, I enjoyed it the most with ice cubes, allowing the flavor to soften further and add a bit of coffee and chocolate-like nuances.

84/100