Johnnie Walker Black: Speyside Origin (조니 워커 스페이사이드)

Released originally for travel retail globally in mid 2019, before unfortunately meeting the headwinds of a global pandemic that shut down international travel a mere six months later, Johnnie Walker Black Label: Origins series was an attempt by Diageo to showcase the individual aspects of their best selling Black Label by breaking it into four regional whiskies; three blended malts and one blended scotch. COVID-19 didn't completely foil their plans though as they did have the foresight to release the origins series in some select Asian markets, including South Korea, where they released the Speyside edition and the Lowland edition. We are still awaiting the release of the Islay and Highland editions as of writing, but I do hope that they are released next year..

The Speyside Origin is a blended malt based primarily around two of Diageos key malts, Cardhu (of course! It's a Johnnie Walker, after all!) and Glendullan, though there's no doubt more in there! Aged in ex-bourbon and refill casks, all whiskies in this blended malt are a minimum of 12 years old, much like in the original Johnnie Walker Black Label.

Vitals:

ABV: 42%

Colour: Dark gold

Chill-filtered: Yes

Nose: Fresh green apples and sweet, juicy plums give a bright and fruity first impression. Behind the fruit lies a smidgen of baking spices such as cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. As the nose opens up, it begins to develop into caramelised apples and the cinnamon becomes more pronounced.

Palate: Black pepper, cinnamon and cloves give a punchy but warm spiciness at first. As it mellows, a mild apple note appears and brings a gentle sweetness, but it's nowhere near as prominent as it was while nosing. It doesn't take long before the apples are overwhelmed by oak tannins and vanilla, which not only dries it out considerably, but adds some floral character, almost akin to sakura petals.

Finish: Long, dry and mildly spicy, with sakura petals and earthy cloves doing most of the legwork as it peters out.

Conclusion:

Definitely better than the standard Johnnie Walker Black. It loses the subtle smoke the original has, but in return it feels richer, with fuller flavours that draw heavily on its Cardhu lineage. My only gripe is that the nose gives the impression of a bright and fruity dram, and instead it throws a curveball and presents spice, tannins and flowers instead. It's not a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination, but it does give enough of a system shock that I have to keep reminding myself to manage my expectations accordingly with every sip.

한국어 시음평:

향: 풋사과, 자두, 계피, 생강, 육두구 → 구운 사과, 더 강한 계피향.

맛: 후추, 계피, 정향 → 사과 → 오크, 바닐라, 벚꽃.

끝맛: 벚꽃, 정향. 피니시가 길고 드라이하고 약간 매워요.

결론: 좋은 위스키지만 향과 맛이 아주 달라요.

Review by Glasgowhisky

2020/11/14