Johnnie Walker relaunches 18-year-old blended Scotch whisky
Johnnie Walker has relaunched its 18-year-old blended Platinum Scotch whisky with a new name - Johnnie Walker Aged 18 Years – and a sophisticated new look.
The super-premium blend of up to 18 different whiskies, each chosen for their depth of flavour and character, is a re-branding of the multi-award winning Johnnie Walker Platinum Label1. The new name and packaging celebrate its credentials as the best 18-year-old blend ever made by the world-famous Scotch brand.
Johnnie Walker Aged 18 Years is the creation of Master Blender Dr. Jim Beveridge – twice voted Master Blender of the Year2 – who has sought out the ultimate combination of complex and smooth 18-year-old whiskies drawn from the main whisky producing regions of Scotland.
Nick Temperley, Head of Diageo Reserve GB, said: “Johnnie Walker Aged 18 Years is crafted using our unrivalled reserves of mature whiskies. The myriad of flavour is unlike any other, giving this Scotch an unparalleled quality. We know there’s a real consumer demand for 18-year-old whiskies, and hope to see the new name and packaging resonate well with our customers.”
Johnnie Walker Aged 18 Years has intense sweet fruit flavours and aromas, with just a gentle wisp of smokiness, embodying the classic Johnnie Walker style of blending – striking the perfect balance between distillery character and the influence of casks over time.
Jim Beveridge, said: “I find older whiskies fascinating to work with. The great whiskies I’ve selected for this blend have undergone a slow, easy maturation through at least 18 cold winters and warm summers. It’s a long time to wait but these whiskies have a wonderful balance.
“The challenge with this blend was to create a smooth and complex whisky with distinctive, big flavours. Older malt whiskies can become quite constrained over time and the key to unlocking their flavours is small, carefully judged quantities of 18-year-old Lowland grain whisky.
“I have chosen up to 18 different whiskies with remarkable flavour and character, including classic Speyside malts, such as Cardhu, Glen Elgin and Auchroisk for their sweetness and elegance; fruity and complex Highland Malts including Blair Athol and beautifully aged island malts that enable me to introduce such a subtle smokiness."
Best served neat or on the rocks, Johnnie Walker Aged 18 Years has rich sweet fruit aromas along with toffee caramel, vanilla and a hint of smoke. It is warming and sweet on the palate with dark fruits, malty cereal, smooth creamy vanilla, fragrant almonds and tangerines, and a gentle smoke developing. A lingering finish brings notes of dark chocolate, caramelised citrus peel and very light smoke.
The launch of Johnnie Walker Aged 18 Years is supported by a short film which follows Jim Beveridge in his pursuit of the ultimate 18-year-old blended Scotch whisky: https://youtu.be/rWqYaKeKIAE
Available this summer, Johnnie Walker Aged 18 Years will retail at £84 for 70cl with an ABV of 40%.
