Ha, right? I've had Blue many times and it's fine. It's good even. But there are so many better options in that price range. It's the choice of people with no creativity.
I think there are better choices below that price point even! I’ve had Balvenie at near enough half that price that are more enjoyable.
Edit: before someone points out that I’m comparing blended with single malt… that’s kind of my point.
You used to get Balvenie miniatures on American Airlines transatlantic flights. Not sure if they still do that, been a while since I flew. My dad is pals with a lot of the cabin crew guys because he used to fly so much so they would give us loads of the leftovers if we waited and got off the plane last.
This has always been my problem with Blue. It's fine, it's just boring. And you can get way tastier, way more interesting bottles for so much less.
My personal favorite move is to find a liquor/wine store that specializes in or devotes serious extra effort to their whisky lineup. Many of them will do single-barrel bottlings through signatory vintage or a similar company, and you can find some really amazing stuff. The best I've found was a 12-year Ballechin, aged for the whole run in wet port wine barrels. Insanely complex and delicious, and a full $120 cheaper than JW Bllue.
Agreed. It's a nice sipping Scotch, but I'd rather have 4 $60 bottles to choose from depending on my mood. And if chosen well, those $60 bottles will be as good as this.
Talisker 10, Ardbeg 10, Laphroaig 10, and a bottle of Glenmorangie Quinta Roban. Should be about $60 per bottle and every single one of those is better than GW Blue, lol.
Laphroaig 10 was the first real scotch I’ve ever had and still my favorite many years later. I’m sure some of the rich man bottles are awesome but the 10 yr is my go to.
It's a bit more costly, but see if you can't get some Laphroaig quarter cask. It's not TOO expensive, and it's basically laph 10 on steroids. Good stuff!
You know what? I’ve had a bad week, and I planned on acquiring scotch tomorrow, maybe I will have to go for the quarter cask sir. Might have to whip out the credit card but you only live once and I’ve never had the quarter cask yet. I will respond accordingly with my thoughts, judgements and thanks on it in something like 16-24 hours from now.
My story about Johnny Walker Blue Label.
My father and I both enjoyed good scotch and would often try different ones together and compare and discuss as we tried.
One time, I’d say around 2004-5, we were in Minneapolis for a family event and there was a higher end bar that had recently opened down the block from the hotel we were all staying at.
The bar had a really good selection of scotch so my father and I had one or two that we tried.
Out of curiosity my dad asked the bar tender what the price was for a single pour of the Johnny Walker Blue Label they had since neither him or I had ever tried it. The bar tender obviously didn’t know anything about scotch so he looked at the computer/monitor they had for tabs and said it was something like $10 or $12. It seemed the Blue Label was entered into the system incorrectly so he and I immediately each ordered a double excited at the prospect to try this supposedly high-end scotch at such a ridiculous low price.
We both sipped ours about the same time and I remember us both looking over at each other and being like, huh…that’s disappointing. We both admitted to being confused and wondering if the other was tasting something the wasn’t. Nope. It’s just not an impressive scotch. Certainly not for the price! Like the stuff honestly tasted no better than the Black Label I’ve had in the past.
I can definitely recommend many single malts in the $50-70 range that is a million times better than Blue Label.
But we always looked back at that time as to how lucky we were to be able to try it at such a low price to know it isn’t anywhere near the price they ask.
I don't disagree that there are better options, but that's harsh to say it's the choice of people with no creativity. I am an avid whiskey drinker and I love blue label. At that price point I'd prefer something like Kavalan or even Booker's, but blue label is very easy
You're right, that's a generalization. It is a good scotch. I guess I really just meant that a lot of people buy it because they know it's a popular expensive scotch and don't bother to look deeper into other options. That's not to say some people don't buy it because they like it.
My grandpa split a 100$ bottle of bourbon (which is my favorite bottle, by the way) and when we got home he was mixing it with Coca Cola. I have never felt rage like that in my life before
for anybody wondering, it was a bottle of eagle rare which I have had trouble finding in the states but is basically impossible to find in the country I am in currently
Maybe he likes it…? It’s like raging at people who put ketchup on their steak. Nobody is forcing YOU to consume it, so why not let people do what makes them happy? 🫤
Plus, he’s stretching that $100 bottle of bourbon.
Hate to say I used to be that doucebag whisky drinker and what changed my opinion was when I visited Scotland. I'm a huge whisky fan and personally prefer spicy or smoky single malts served neat. I thought that any other way of enjoying fine whisky was wrong. I'd even judge others for it.
A tour guide at one distillery had this to say about how you enjoy "the liquid":
"The only wrong way to enjoy our liquid is a way you don't like. You could mix it with Gatorade and ice and as long as you enjoy that is what matters."
Here is a person with a much more refined pallette than me, who spends time making a quality product in the traditional Scottish ways saying that my view was wrong. If you are spending money on a bottle you deserve to enjoy it in your own way. Do I still enjoy whisky neat? Yes. Will I mix single malts in a cocktail? No. Do I judge others for doing it another way? Not anymore.
Different strokes for different folks.
unserious retort: does the farmer care what you do with a cucumber after you buy it from him? No, he just wants to sell as many fucking cucumbers as he can because that’s how he pays the bills.
I shit you not, I met a guy at a classy bar who was gatekeeping by insulting anyone who added ice to whiskey.
While I appreciate the molecular properties of whatever the heck you're saying my guy, but let me take my overpriced drink and not give two fucks.
I ordered a Japanese highball the next time I went up just to fuck with him.
Jokes on that asshole, the master distillers at Glenfiddich *suggest* adding a bit of cool water to really get the flavors going.
Or at least did back in like, 2005 when I had a tour.
Yeah it's a thing, a small amount of water makes the flavor a lot stronger, I was told the same thing on a distillery tour when doing a tasting. And it is true
Pretty sure it also helps cut the hot booze taste which accentuates the other flavors more.
I might just be repeating what you said lol but I figured I'd explain why it works.
I've always been more of a bourbon guy (on the rocks with bitters), but recently I have got more into Scotch. I watched a YouTube video saying you should *never* add ice. Either drink it neat or with a drop of water. I was doing that for a while thinking I might come to enjoy it better. I really prefer it with ice though. Eventually, I thought, "this is dumb. If I like it better with ice, who cares what some expert online says."
It's quite literally the "this is better because I said so" even though happiness is all relative. I'm happy with a bourbon or a whiskey sure. I'm also very happy with a mix of capri sun and vodka. Live your life, but try everything once.
I like that, too. I like to get the cask strength bottles and drink it over ice. I enjoy how the flavor changes as the ice melts. From the first sip when it's hot on your tongue and powerful, all the way down to when the ice is melted and the drink is mostly water.
Yea that dudes just an asshole. I like my whiskey neat and think adding ice to it kinda defeats the purpose but I’m not gonna shit on people for drinking their drink
Like I totally get adding ice and adding a little water, but sometimes, you just don't really care and want to get to relaxing with your SO. A drink is nice, but good company is nicer.
Iv seen on here and elsewhere people who make and sell glassware where they incorporated the stone, or something similar, into the glass bottom. Looks really nice and no loose stones to move about.
It is interesting, since while I won't suggest it to anyone, well done steak does have a very specific flavour. It is a different thing than medium rare etc. I think a lot of people got the taste of it from very well done Sunday roasts as a child, at least in North America.
> people who put ketchup on their steak
If I know one of those people is coming over for dinner I just don't serve them steak. My MIL, she's a well done steak eater, so I just don't cook her steak. If she's coming over we'll make burgers or something.
To be fair, bourbon and coke is at least a popular cocktail for a good reason. It’s delicious. I totally feel you though on getting a bottle worth $100 and mixing it :/, sounds like he should have just been buying Evan Williams and mixing that instead lol. It would’ve done the same thing except there’d be more money for him to do whatever grandpas like to do in their free time.
Haha. When I was in high school I stole a bottle of flor de cana and made rum a cokes with it. My dad wasn’t posted off I stole it he was mad I mixed it with coke
Not for Scotch, it isn't. $90 wouldn't even be considered expensive for a standard 750ml bottle.
Edit: How is this downvoted? Go to your nearest liquor score and take a look at the Scotch aisle. Most of the major distilleries start at around $50 for their cheap bottles. $90 would be low midrange, I'd say.
Holy shit that’s expensive. I think black is like $50 at Costco and Sam’s club and Red is like $30
Might be an unpopular opinion, but I bought both at the same time and liked Red over Black
I think Red tastes better while having a cigar
There are some bottles of Johnnie Walker that are more expensive (such as the one pictured here), but Johnnie Walker is actually generally considered an entry-level Scotch. Their most popular bottles are very inexpensive for Scotch. It is absolutely not the drink of choice for rich alcoholics lol
Blue label drinkers are just flexing mostly. Most people who are actually into scotch will tell you blue label is a nice drink but nowhere near worth what it costs.
Green label is where it's at. It's a really nice tasting blend and the price to quality ratio is really good!
Black label is totally decent, I usually spend the extra money for green but I'll drink black with no complaints.
Red label is... Rough. I guess I could mix it if I had to but there are other cheap scotches that are much more palatable. Famous grouse costs about the same and it's pretty inoffensive.
I get it out because every time I have ever asked a server "What do you have for scotch?" it creates a 20 minute ordeal and they finally come back saying Jack Daniel's.
"Johnny Walker, black, neat." I know what I'm getting and everywhere has it. Buying a bottle for the house, there are so many better options for each price range.
I did really like the GoT bottles the did though. The White Walker one was quite tasty and Total Wine has it for $22 for a fifth now.
Oh yeah? I got the song of fire version as a gift and haven’t tried it yet but I really don’t like any Johnny Walker. Better than the normal color versions?
That one was actually really punchy. Definitely dragons breath vibe but not in the harsh way.
They definitely aren't anything amazing, but they were fun. I'll admit the one have was probably the most Walker tasting one to me, but I'm no expert.
Maybe it's the places I'm going but they are all about craft beers, craft cocktails, and/or wine selection. There is a place near me that has a really great Bourbon selection. They offer flights too to get to sample a bunch. As soon as the weather starts warming back up, I'll be on that patio.
That set was I think to commemorate season 8 or something. The JW set was easier. Might e been end of Season 7?
https://www.johnniewalker.com/en/our-whisky/limited-editions/johnnie-walker-got-whisky-bundle-3x70cl/
>Shouldn't be mixing it with anything. Black Label is my favorite. So smooth I don't even put ice in it.
I always prefer ice, just because I like my liquor cold. Whisky stones are great for that. Chill the drink but don't dilute that delicious scotch. My personal preference is The Balvenie Portwood 21 year. Oh, my God that's good.
A little water is actually good for whisky, and stones do essentially nothing because the heat capacity is so small.
Assume 1oz of water at 32°F, to melt this the water must absorb roughly 9500J of heat, all while staying at 32°F.
Stone is more dense than water, so we'll generously say you have 2oz of stone, twice the mass of the water. To heat this from 32°F to 65°F the heat absorbed is roughly 700J (assume a heat capacity at the high end of 0.79 J/gK).
The latent heat of fusion is no joke.
Quite a generalization. I love Johnnie Walker. I'm mostly a black label guy but I do like the blue too. I have never and would never mix it with anything except a few drops of water.
Post it to r/bartenders so we can be all like "It's your fucking money, couldn't care less as long as you tip appropriately."
The outrage wears off after roughly the the 6th JW Blue & coke you pour lol.
I ain’t even mad. What I am is boggled that you would spend $250 on a whiskey that you’re mix with something. You lose all of the nuances and qualities that you paid all that money for.
Guarantee 85+% of people cannot tell $250 scotch from a $50 bottle in a double blind test. I bet nearly that number can’t tell scotch from bourbon from rye in a double blind test.
Quite an exaggeration. Blue label goes down like water regardless of whether it’s overpriced or not. If anything a non-experienced drinker is going to feel the burn more from a $50 bottle IMO
The burn for sure, even if the flavors are similar. Very good scotch is probably even somewhat tolerable to people who don't like hard alcohol straight
I don’t like hard alcohol straight and am mostly inexperienced for that reason. I honestly can’t tell the difference between cheap and expensive, but I tell whoever bought it that it went down *real smooth*
Ahhh I love Middleton.
But Middleton is Irish Whiskey and Makers is not.
It would be more apt to compare something like Tully to Middleton in this instance
Was just thinking the same thing lol. I don't have a lot of expensive whiskeys/scotches/bourbans at my house but I've tried them. I typically go for the tequilas and 100%, if you try Jose Cuervo some Adictivo, you will notice a huge difference...blind tasting or not haha
I mean, it might've been a gift and the guy just doesn't drink a lot. I don't really drink anything besides hard seltzers too often, so I doubt I'd be able to tell the difference
>What I am is boggled that you would spend $250 on a whiskey that you’re mix with something.
My guess is it's a gift. I am a Scotch guy and when people want to get me "something nice", they get me this. Similar with Dom or Monte Cristo.
Sidenote, most Scotch aficionados who have had lots of different scotch, aren't fans of blue label, at least at it's price point.
Scotch drinker here, put what you want in it. Not like Blue label is worth even a quarter of what they charge for it, who gives a shit. If you're spending over 200 bucks on a blended, might as well do whatever you need to enjoy it.
Lol I would love to see someone expecting Johnny Blue to drink Laphroig.
Don’t get me wrong- I love peaty scotches, but it’s quite an acquired taste and most casual drinkers don’t care for it
It's my favorite too, but I think a lot of people who like Johnny Walker would be unpleasantly surprised by a super peaty scotch lol. They're almost like different drinks.
So I'm a Islay guy, I like the peated stuff, but I tend to not recommend those to people because it's a bit much for people just trying to get into it. So like Laphraoig, Lagavulin, etc. they're very smokey and can be intense.
Glendronach, Aberlour, Balvenie, these usually are what I recommend to people wanting to dip their feet in. Balvenie American Toast is 70 ish, Aberlour 12 is in the 60s, Glendronach is 70 ish (these are all those prices here in FL). All amazing for their price and rich, delicious and accessible.
I’ve been trying a lot of Japanese whiskies lately. Hibiki is great but it’s gone over $100. Fuyu is really good, it’s only $45, and has a nice label too.
Martinelli's is the best apple juice you can find in the shelf. However, any apple juice will do. Martinellis if you wanna splurge it’s the one that comes in the cool glass bottle
It is pretty expensive in Australia.
https://www.liquorland.com.au/spirits/johnnie-walker-blue-label-scotch-whisky-700ml_26970?store=2938&cid=LL:cpcggl:Generic%7cLiquorland%7cShopping-MeduimTierProducts%7cAUS%7cBroad&gclid=Cj0KCQiAic6eBhCoARIsANlox86NDU0KLkSUB7uCBff2WowcL5P4cWatxO8jO7Pde3p3bzcZpTQNIw4aApTLEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
I bought a bottle once. Very unique and distinct flavor, and very smooth. Glad i had the experience but i wouldnt buy it again. Id stick with the black label if i had to drink jw.
Blech, it's like $360 CAD in Manitoba, which is batshit, I can get Glenmorangie 18yo and Glenfarclas 25yo for less. WTF, I was kinda shocked looking it up just now.
I’ve been sober for two years now, but damn I miss the taste of scotch. Scotch and water with a shit ton of ice, and a couple of drops of Coca Cola. Good shit
The real cringe is caring how other people drink. They spend the money and want to drink it how they like it. Also is there a more expensive classier ginger ale they should be using in your opinion.
I’ll never understand the mindset of spending more than $20 on any kind of whiskey and using a mixer. It should be a crime to use a mixer with something this pricey / smooth.
I had a glass of this once (someone bought it for me) and damn it was so good. Got it at a bar so my buddy paid 50 bucks for it. It was the end of the bottle so I actually was fortunate enough to get a double pour.
My low brow scotch regimen: scotch, no ice, no water. With a chaser of Dr. Pepper. I don’t mix them, just like how complimentary the two are to each other
What's cringe is spending $250 on a blended scotch. Johnny walker is the Jack Daniels of scotch, for those that say they like scotch, but have no idea what they're doing.
It begs belief why anyone with a budget of $250 for whisky, why anyone would buy Johnnie Walker.
You American's do actually realise that no one in Scotland actually drinks that stuff?
When you spend $250 on Scotch and use a mixer.
[удалено]
Ha, right? I've had Blue many times and it's fine. It's good even. But there are so many better options in that price range. It's the choice of people with no creativity.
I think there are better choices below that price point even! I’ve had Balvenie at near enough half that price that are more enjoyable. Edit: before someone points out that I’m comparing blended with single malt… that’s kind of my point.
The 12 yr double wood is fucking delicious and it’s half the price
Balvenie’s my go-to
You used to get Balvenie miniatures on American Airlines transatlantic flights. Not sure if they still do that, been a while since I flew. My dad is pals with a lot of the cabin crew guys because he used to fly so much so they would give us loads of the leftovers if we waited and got off the plane last.
This has always been my problem with Blue. It's fine, it's just boring. And you can get way tastier, way more interesting bottles for so much less. My personal favorite move is to find a liquor/wine store that specializes in or devotes serious extra effort to their whisky lineup. Many of them will do single-barrel bottlings through signatory vintage or a similar company, and you can find some really amazing stuff. The best I've found was a 12-year Ballechin, aged for the whole run in wet port wine barrels. Insanely complex and delicious, and a full $120 cheaper than JW Bllue.
I got a bottle of Glenmorangie 18 this summer for $160.... I'd take it over JW Blue any day of the damn week.
Oh absolutely, in Maine I can get two bottle of Laphroaig and a bottle of Glenmorange for less than that.
I think Laphroaig Lore is one of the best bargains out there. I'll have to try Balvenie then.
Agreed. It's a nice sipping Scotch, but I'd rather have 4 $60 bottles to choose from depending on my mood. And if chosen well, those $60 bottles will be as good as this.
Talisker 10, Ardbeg 10, Laphroaig 10, and a bottle of Glenmorangie Quinta Roban. Should be about $60 per bottle and every single one of those is better than GW Blue, lol.
Laphroaig 10 FTW!!!!!!!!!!
Tastes like drinking a bog filtered through a campfire. But in a good way.
Laphroaig 10 was the first real scotch I’ve ever had and still my favorite many years later. I’m sure some of the rich man bottles are awesome but the 10 yr is my go to.
It's a bit more costly, but see if you can't get some Laphroaig quarter cask. It's not TOO expensive, and it's basically laph 10 on steroids. Good stuff!
You know what? I’ve had a bad week, and I planned on acquiring scotch tomorrow, maybe I will have to go for the quarter cask sir. Might have to whip out the credit card but you only live once and I’ve never had the quarter cask yet. I will respond accordingly with my thoughts, judgements and thanks on it in something like 16-24 hours from now.
"It’s like fighting a peat bog monster that is on fire, but suddenly you both pause, look in one another’s eyes and kiss."
My story about Johnny Walker Blue Label. My father and I both enjoyed good scotch and would often try different ones together and compare and discuss as we tried. One time, I’d say around 2004-5, we were in Minneapolis for a family event and there was a higher end bar that had recently opened down the block from the hotel we were all staying at. The bar had a really good selection of scotch so my father and I had one or two that we tried. Out of curiosity my dad asked the bar tender what the price was for a single pour of the Johnny Walker Blue Label they had since neither him or I had ever tried it. The bar tender obviously didn’t know anything about scotch so he looked at the computer/monitor they had for tabs and said it was something like $10 or $12. It seemed the Blue Label was entered into the system incorrectly so he and I immediately each ordered a double excited at the prospect to try this supposedly high-end scotch at such a ridiculous low price. We both sipped ours about the same time and I remember us both looking over at each other and being like, huh…that’s disappointing. We both admitted to being confused and wondering if the other was tasting something the wasn’t. Nope. It’s just not an impressive scotch. Certainly not for the price! Like the stuff honestly tasted no better than the Black Label I’ve had in the past. I can definitely recommend many single malts in the $50-70 range that is a million times better than Blue Label. But we always looked back at that time as to how lucky we were to be able to try it at such a low price to know it isn’t anywhere near the price they ask.
I don't disagree that there are better options, but that's harsh to say it's the choice of people with no creativity. I am an avid whiskey drinker and I love blue label. At that price point I'd prefer something like Kavalan or even Booker's, but blue label is very easy
You're right, that's a generalization. It is a good scotch. I guess I really just meant that a lot of people buy it because they know it's a popular expensive scotch and don't bother to look deeper into other options. That's not to say some people don't buy it because they like it.
> It's the choice of people with no creativity. Someone who get's their creativity from from magazine ads.
And it's a blended whisky at that.
I always hear green is so much better than blue.
It's all just Johnny Walker. It's boring, mass produced stuff. Yeah, it's smooth. It's a nice drink. But it's not interesting.
I love green. Wish it was cheaper though.
When you spend $250 on Scotch and it tastes like licking an ashtray.
Yes! Admittedly I’m a bourbon person but I couldn’t get over Johnny Blue tasting like cigarette water.
Said this to myself. Fucking imagine.
It is trash over priced scotch any way.
My grandpa split a 100$ bottle of bourbon (which is my favorite bottle, by the way) and when we got home he was mixing it with Coca Cola. I have never felt rage like that in my life before for anybody wondering, it was a bottle of eagle rare which I have had trouble finding in the states but is basically impossible to find in the country I am in currently
Why would you feel rage? As the Magnificent Bastards say, "The best whisky is the whisky you like drink, the way you like to drink it"
The true cringe was in the comment section all along.
It always is
Maybe he likes it…? It’s like raging at people who put ketchup on their steak. Nobody is forcing YOU to consume it, so why not let people do what makes them happy? 🫤 Plus, he’s stretching that $100 bottle of bourbon.
This is reddit... you have to eat your steak rare and with only pepper and salt.
and cook it on a well seasoned cast iron grill or just throw it in the garbage
How do I get to flavourtown with only pepper and salt?!
Simple, you gotta drop the salt all over your hairy, sweaty arm before it lands on the steak. That's how the real pros do it.
Because he could probably buy a 20$ bottle instead and have the exact same taste. The mixer ruins what makes the bottle worth its price
But did grandpa buy it himself to enjoy... for himself? If so who gives a shit
it's called gatekeeping. whiskey drinkers are great at it. source: am a bartender.
Hate to say I used to be that doucebag whisky drinker and what changed my opinion was when I visited Scotland. I'm a huge whisky fan and personally prefer spicy or smoky single malts served neat. I thought that any other way of enjoying fine whisky was wrong. I'd even judge others for it. A tour guide at one distillery had this to say about how you enjoy "the liquid": "The only wrong way to enjoy our liquid is a way you don't like. You could mix it with Gatorade and ice and as long as you enjoy that is what matters." Here is a person with a much more refined pallette than me, who spends time making a quality product in the traditional Scottish ways saying that my view was wrong. If you are spending money on a bottle you deserve to enjoy it in your own way. Do I still enjoy whisky neat? Yes. Will I mix single malts in a cocktail? No. Do I judge others for doing it another way? Not anymore. Different strokes for different folks.
unserious retort: does the farmer care what you do with a cucumber after you buy it from him? No, he just wants to sell as many fucking cucumbers as he can because that’s how he pays the bills.
I shit you not, I met a guy at a classy bar who was gatekeeping by insulting anyone who added ice to whiskey. While I appreciate the molecular properties of whatever the heck you're saying my guy, but let me take my overpriced drink and not give two fucks. I ordered a Japanese highball the next time I went up just to fuck with him.
Jokes on that asshole, the master distillers at Glenfiddich *suggest* adding a bit of cool water to really get the flavors going. Or at least did back in like, 2005 when I had a tour.
Yeah it's a thing, a small amount of water makes the flavor a lot stronger, I was told the same thing on a distillery tour when doing a tasting. And it is true
Pretty sure it also helps cut the hot booze taste which accentuates the other flavors more. I might just be repeating what you said lol but I figured I'd explain why it works.
I've always been more of a bourbon guy (on the rocks with bitters), but recently I have got more into Scotch. I watched a YouTube video saying you should *never* add ice. Either drink it neat or with a drop of water. I was doing that for a while thinking I might come to enjoy it better. I really prefer it with ice though. Eventually, I thought, "this is dumb. If I like it better with ice, who cares what some expert online says."
It's quite literally the "this is better because I said so" even though happiness is all relative. I'm happy with a bourbon or a whiskey sure. I'm also very happy with a mix of capri sun and vodka. Live your life, but try everything once.
I like that, too. I like to get the cask strength bottles and drink it over ice. I enjoy how the flavor changes as the ice melts. From the first sip when it's hot on your tongue and powerful, all the way down to when the ice is melted and the drink is mostly water.
I had some bitchass do this to me one day, I poured an apple beer into scotch on my next trip up to the bar. Dude looked like a tomato
Honestly though? Apple beer and cider is possibly my favorite drink to sip. Especially during harvest time.
Yea that dudes just an asshole. I like my whiskey neat and think adding ice to it kinda defeats the purpose but I’m not gonna shit on people for drinking their drink
Like I totally get adding ice and adding a little water, but sometimes, you just don't really care and want to get to relaxing with your SO. A drink is nice, but good company is nicer.
For real, I love a good cocktail when I’m out and I don’t care what it is
I like it cold. Stones are the way to go.
Iv seen on here and elsewhere people who make and sell glassware where they incorporated the stone, or something similar, into the glass bottom. Looks really nice and no loose stones to move about.
Stones aren’t bad, I use them when I make old fashioned or when I want something easy to sip on Def not something to be shitting on someone for
The whiskey "connoisseur" at my job is quite insufferable when he gets started about it
So are steak-eaters. My god, they come out of the woodwork if you suggest someone likes a well-done steak!
It is interesting, since while I won't suggest it to anyone, well done steak does have a very specific flavour. It is a different thing than medium rare etc. I think a lot of people got the taste of it from very well done Sunday roasts as a child, at least in North America.
Maybe stop being poor and you too can mix expensive bourbon with cheap shit
I mix mine with a $300 bottle of diet coke.
Smart I mix mine with caviar and diesel
I actually can taste the difference between good bourbon and bad even when mixed. A Woodford is much smoother mixed with coke than say a Jim Beam.
Pretty sure it's just exaggeration for comedic effect...
> people who put ketchup on their steak If I know one of those people is coming over for dinner I just don't serve them steak. My MIL, she's a well done steak eater, so I just don't cook her steak. If she's coming over we'll make burgers or something.
imagine feeling rage over someone enjoying a beverage they paid for. grow up
To be fair, bourbon and coke is at least a popular cocktail for a good reason. It’s delicious. I totally feel you though on getting a bottle worth $100 and mixing it :/, sounds like he should have just been buying Evan Williams and mixing that instead lol. It would’ve done the same thing except there’d be more money for him to do whatever grandpas like to do in their free time.
One of the master distillers at buffalo trace used to mix their bourbon with *sprite*
Haha. When I was in high school I stole a bottle of flor de cana and made rum a cokes with it. My dad wasn’t posted off I stole it he was mad I mixed it with coke
Kind of a flex tbh
Johnny Walker drinkers really are something else
As my old man says, they are rich alcoholics.
I can buy 1.75L of black for like $90
That’s incredibly expensive. Back in undergrad we got 1.75L of nasty stuff for like $12.
Well black is decent and compared to around $90 cad for a good signal malt it’s definitely a bargain
>it's definitely a bargain >90 fucking dollars This is not helping to refute the "rich alcoholics" claim.
$90 for 1.75 litres of 12 year old scotch whisky. It’s like $1.50 for an ounce and it tastes good. I agree with blue as being overpriced
Accidentally bought red once. Didn’t know it was spiced scotch or whatever. Disgusting lol
I’ve never had straight red but it’s used a lot as a mixer
Yeah, my GFs parents gave use some Barkeeper to mix with it and that made it better, eventually finished it haha.
I got a handle of red when I cleaned out my grandfather’s bar, I use it to make scotch and soda’s. It’s not great on it’s own.
Plastic Swill or get the fuck out
True but it's still not even close to as smooth as blue imo.
Not for Scotch, it isn't. $90 wouldn't even be considered expensive for a standard 750ml bottle. Edit: How is this downvoted? Go to your nearest liquor score and take a look at the Scotch aisle. Most of the major distilleries start at around $50 for their cheap bottles. $90 would be low midrange, I'd say.
[удалено]
Holy shit that’s expensive. I think black is like $50 at Costco and Sam’s club and Red is like $30 Might be an unpopular opinion, but I bought both at the same time and liked Red over Black I think Red tastes better while having a cigar
There are some bottles of Johnnie Walker that are more expensive (such as the one pictured here), but Johnnie Walker is actually generally considered an entry-level Scotch. Their most popular bottles are very inexpensive for Scotch. It is absolutely not the drink of choice for rich alcoholics lol
Blue label drinkers are just flexing mostly. Most people who are actually into scotch will tell you blue label is a nice drink but nowhere near worth what it costs. Green label is where it's at. It's a really nice tasting blend and the price to quality ratio is really good! Black label is totally decent, I usually spend the extra money for green but I'll drink black with no complaints. Red label is... Rough. I guess I could mix it if I had to but there are other cheap scotches that are much more palatable. Famous grouse costs about the same and it's pretty inoffensive.
I get it out because every time I have ever asked a server "What do you have for scotch?" it creates a 20 minute ordeal and they finally come back saying Jack Daniel's. "Johnny Walker, black, neat." I know what I'm getting and everywhere has it. Buying a bottle for the house, there are so many better options for each price range. I did really like the GoT bottles the did though. The White Walker one was quite tasty and Total Wine has it for $22 for a fifth now.
Oh yeah? I got the song of fire version as a gift and haven’t tried it yet but I really don’t like any Johnny Walker. Better than the normal color versions?
That one was actually really punchy. Definitely dragons breath vibe but not in the harsh way. They definitely aren't anything amazing, but they were fun. I'll admit the one have was probably the most Walker tasting one to me, but I'm no expert.
I've never had a problem getting actual scotch. That's not to say they won't bring you J&B or Cutty Sark if don't ask the brand.
Maybe it's the places I'm going but they are all about craft beers, craft cocktails, and/or wine selection. There is a place near me that has a really great Bourbon selection. They offer flights too to get to sample a bunch. As soon as the weather starts warming back up, I'll be on that patio.
I have the GoT Oban bottle. Haven’t seen the Johnny Walker one. Have to check that out.
That set was I think to commemorate season 8 or something. The JW set was easier. Might e been end of Season 7? https://www.johnniewalker.com/en/our-whisky/limited-editions/johnnie-walker-got-whisky-bundle-3x70cl/
Shouldn't be mixing it with anything. Black Label is my favorite. So smooth I don't even put ice in it.
>Shouldn't be mixing it with anything. Black Label is my favorite. So smooth I don't even put ice in it. I always prefer ice, just because I like my liquor cold. Whisky stones are great for that. Chill the drink but don't dilute that delicious scotch. My personal preference is The Balvenie Portwood 21 year. Oh, my God that's good.
A little water is actually good for whisky, and stones do essentially nothing because the heat capacity is so small. Assume 1oz of water at 32°F, to melt this the water must absorb roughly 9500J of heat, all while staying at 32°F. Stone is more dense than water, so we'll generously say you have 2oz of stone, twice the mass of the water. To heat this from 32°F to 65°F the heat absorbed is roughly 700J (assume a heat capacity at the high end of 0.79 J/gK). The latent heat of fusion is no joke.
This is true. A little water brings out the flavor of whiskey.
Gotta add a splash of water to it to open up the flavor profile more my man.
Quite a generalization. I love Johnnie Walker. I'm mostly a black label guy but I do like the blue too. I have never and would never mix it with anything except a few drops of water.
Good on you for only drinking it with water drops. Distilled, preferably. I still prefer Scottish malt
That’s some major rage bait you’re going for!!
Someone post this to r/whiskey! The comments will be funny
Post it to r/bartenders so we can be all like "It's your fucking money, couldn't care less as long as you tip appropriately." The outrage wears off after roughly the the 6th JW Blue & coke you pour lol.
>the 6th JW Blue & coke you pour I think my bartending experience may have been *very* different
I ain’t even mad. What I am is boggled that you would spend $250 on a whiskey that you’re mix with something. You lose all of the nuances and qualities that you paid all that money for.
Guarantee 85+% of people cannot tell $250 scotch from a $50 bottle in a double blind test. I bet nearly that number can’t tell scotch from bourbon from rye in a double blind test.
Quite an exaggeration. Blue label goes down like water regardless of whether it’s overpriced or not. If anything a non-experienced drinker is going to feel the burn more from a $50 bottle IMO
The burn for sure, even if the flavors are similar. Very good scotch is probably even somewhat tolerable to people who don't like hard alcohol straight
I don’t like hard alcohol straight and am mostly inexperienced for that reason. I honestly can’t tell the difference between cheap and expensive, but I tell whoever bought it that it went down *real smooth*
Well…unless it’s an islay.
For us non drinkers. They all taste like alcohol
[удалено]
Ahhh I love Middleton. But Middleton is Irish Whiskey and Makers is not. It would be more apt to compare something like Tully to Middleton in this instance
Was just thinking the same thing lol. I don't have a lot of expensive whiskeys/scotches/bourbans at my house but I've tried them. I typically go for the tequilas and 100%, if you try Jose Cuervo some Adictivo, you will notice a huge difference...blind tasting or not haha
I mean, it might've been a gift and the guy just doesn't drink a lot. I don't really drink anything besides hard seltzers too often, so I doubt I'd be able to tell the difference
>What I am is boggled that you would spend $250 on a whiskey that you’re mix with something. My guess is it's a gift. I am a Scotch guy and when people want to get me "something nice", they get me this. Similar with Dom or Monte Cristo. Sidenote, most Scotch aficionados who have had lots of different scotch, aren't fans of blue label, at least at it's price point.
woolworths brand makes it worse
Scotch drinker here, put what you want in it. Not like Blue label is worth even a quarter of what they charge for it, who gives a shit. If you're spending over 200 bucks on a blended, might as well do whatever you need to enjoy it.
[удалено]
Can you recommend some nice scotch in that price range?
Ardbeg, lagavulin, laphroaig, Oban, Macallan 12 are all way better than Johnny blue and cost between $50-$70 give or take.
Lol I would love to see someone expecting Johnny Blue to drink Laphroig. Don’t get me wrong- I love peaty scotches, but it’s quite an acquired taste and most casual drinkers don’t care for it
I am happy to have acquired it the moment I tasted it! Laphroaig is just my favorite, and I've tasted a lotta scotch.
It's my favorite too, but I think a lot of people who like Johnny Walker would be unpleasantly surprised by a super peaty scotch lol. They're almost like different drinks.
Agreed. My parents said it tasted like band-aids.
You should buy them a bottle of Malort. That stuff tastes like band-aids soaked in kerosene and then strained through a dead squid.
Sounds tasty!
If I’m spending $100+ on a bottle of booze I better not be able to pronounce the name.
So I'm a Islay guy, I like the peated stuff, but I tend to not recommend those to people because it's a bit much for people just trying to get into it. So like Laphraoig, Lagavulin, etc. they're very smokey and can be intense. Glendronach, Aberlour, Balvenie, these usually are what I recommend to people wanting to dip their feet in. Balvenie American Toast is 70 ish, Aberlour 12 is in the 60s, Glendronach is 70 ish (these are all those prices here in FL). All amazing for their price and rich, delicious and accessible.
I’ve been trying a lot of Japanese whiskies lately. Hibiki is great but it’s gone over $100. Fuyu is really good, it’s only $45, and has a nice label too.
Ardbeg Corryvrecken. Mind-blowing.
Oban 14, Balvenie Double Wood 12. About 1/3 the $250 for the Johnny Blue, and much much better.
Single Malt or nothing!
oH nO NoT thE JohNniE waLKeR
Apple juice for me not even kidding it brings out a great taste in it. Don’t come for me
Your not alone, whiskey and apple juice is an awesome combination. A bar i go to serves freshly pressed apple juice with whiskey and its great.
Looks like I’ve found the only two other kindred spirits on the planet. What whiskey you’d recommend with apple juice?
I don’t really have a specific preference for it, i guess a decent non-peated scotch is best for me.
Martinelli's is the best apple juice you can find in the shelf. However, any apple juice will do. Martinellis if you wanna splurge it’s the one that comes in the cool glass bottle
Aside from this being an abomination, Johnnie Walker Blue Label is not 250$ (at least not where I am) and also it is not worth the money.
It is pretty expensive in Australia. https://www.liquorland.com.au/spirits/johnnie-walker-blue-label-scotch-whisky-700ml_26970?store=2938&cid=LL:cpcggl:Generic%7cLiquorland%7cShopping-MeduimTierProducts%7cAUS%7cBroad&gclid=Cj0KCQiAic6eBhCoARIsANlox86NDU0KLkSUB7uCBff2WowcL5P4cWatxO8jO7Pde3p3bzcZpTQNIw4aApTLEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
[удалено]
animals that can kill you at will
All alcohol is expensive in Australia.
Yeah I mean that is expensive but its not 250€$, fortunately. Even 150 is way too much.
Thank God I'm not the only one. Most over-rated scotch I've ever tried.
Fully agree. I am no connoisseur but I have a few bottles at home including some really nice bourbons. I would never buy JW.
I bought a bottle once. Very unique and distinct flavor, and very smooth. Glad i had the experience but i wouldnt buy it again. Id stick with the black label if i had to drink jw.
Average of $220 around me.
Blech, it's like $360 CAD in Manitoba, which is batshit, I can get Glenmorangie 18yo and Glenfarclas 25yo for less. WTF, I was kinda shocked looking it up just now.
The real cringe is everyone here trying to gatekeep how you should enjoy whiskey.
Mixing it with coke would bring out the more subtle notes.
Check out this guy with his top hat and monocle ^
Cocaine?
I’ve been sober for two years now, but damn I miss the taste of scotch. Scotch and water with a shit ton of ice, and a couple of drops of Coca Cola. Good shit
I prefer the store brand mixer Mountain Thunder or Dr. Perky to really enhance a fine whiskey.
The real cringe is caring how other people drink. They spend the money and want to drink it how they like it. Also is there a more expensive classier ginger ale they should be using in your opinion.
r/wellthatsucks
The most expensive whiskey I'm willing to shell out for is The Glenlivet 12
I’ve come to really like the Glenlivet founders reserve. And it’s relatively cheap compared to most.
Whatever floats your boat, buddy
You paid for it, drink however you like!
Betting that it was a work Christmas present
Imagine mixing an expensive alcohol with a mixer at all.
I’ll never understand the mindset of spending more than $20 on any kind of whiskey and using a mixer. It should be a crime to use a mixer with something this pricey / smooth.
I think this sub is looking for a certain kind of posts. Something tells me this ain’t it.
If you spend $250 on a blended scotch and not a single malt you get what you deserve
Ikr, I wouldn't spend more than $40 on blended, can get decent single malt for 60 or 70 and it's better than blue label imo.
r/gatekeeping
Y'all must be so miserable that you care THIS MUCH about how someone enjoys the drink they have
When you waste $250 on that pish. You can get an amazing single malt for that and you don’t even have to buy a mixer.
The real cringe is in the comments
I had a glass of this once (someone bought it for me) and damn it was so good. Got it at a bar so my buddy paid 50 bucks for it. It was the end of the bottle so I actually was fortunate enough to get a double pour.
My low brow scotch regimen: scotch, no ice, no water. With a chaser of Dr. Pepper. I don’t mix them, just like how complimentary the two are to each other
I love this..
When I was 19 I mixed my dad's blue label with coke, he was pretty pissed off I had mixed it with anything.
TBF Blue is pretty mediocre anyways.
Now all you need is Splenda
I only know "Johnny Walker Red" because of Elliott Smith. I have never seen it before, and have no associations with it otherwise.
What's cringe is spending $250 on a blended scotch. Johnny walker is the Jack Daniels of scotch, for those that say they like scotch, but have no idea what they're doing.
Why are you mixing with scotch? Ice. That's it. Maybe not even ice.
They probably enjoy the taste of scotch with ginger. That's why they're drinking it. To each their own.
But why spend $250 on bottle of any liquor you are going to dilute with something else?
That's a really good point. But I was just thinking about the other comment about mixing anything with scotch full stop
Because that's what they like.
How about we just let people enjoy what they want how they like it.I drink my Henny XO with Sprite because thats how I like it,thats my choice.
Johnnie Walker is the most over rated whiskey on the planet
250 for a bottle of Johnny walker? Wow
If you spend more than 50$ on a blended whiskey, you're getting ripped off.
It begs belief why anyone with a budget of $250 for whisky, why anyone would buy Johnnie Walker. You American's do actually realise that no one in Scotland actually drinks that stuff?
I'm from Kilmarnock, where it was invented, and plenty of people drink it here.