First introduced in 2005, Johnnie Walker Green Label was discontinued worldwide in 2012 (except in Taiwan) when they launched the Johnnie Walker Gold Label and Johnnie Walker Platinum Label. It was brought back in Australia and North America in 2015 and has now been relaunched on a broader scale, including Europe.
Like before, Johnnie Walker Green Label is a blended malt, composed with Talisker, Linkwood, Cragganmore and Caol Ila among other whiskies matured for at least 15 years in American and European oak.
I must admit I never tried the old version, but the relaunch was a good reason to hunt down a bottle.
Johnnie Walker 15 yo ‘Green Label’
(43%, OB 2016)
Johnnie Walker 15 yo ‘Green Label’Nose: simple but fresh and bright. Apples, lemons and oranges and juicy barley. Very light pepper. Malty porridge. Some buttercups and medium smoke in the distance. Subtle leafy notes too.
Mouth: rather sweet and maybe just a tad weak as well. Other than that, quite tasty: very malty / cereally, with lots of oranges and honey. Spicy oak (including Talisker’s peppery / smoky side) before moving to nougat, milk chocolate, some hazelnut. Very round.
Finish: medium long, with some roasted nuts and chocolade, as well as a faint peaty side.
This is one of the best options in the core range of Johnnie Walker. It’s a good vatted malt, especially considering its intentions to appeal to a wide audience. Nonetheless I don’t feel I missed out on something by not trying it sooner and people who can compare seem to think it was better before it disappeared. In any case many single malts – even in this price range – offer more individuality and punch. Around € 40-50.
Score: 83/100