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Fahrenheit 173 - Whisky

"The king o' drinks, as I conceive it, Talisker, Isla or Glenlivit"   (R.L. Stevenson)

Johnnie Blue & Chivas 18

 10 Dec 2009  

Johnnie Walker Blue Label:
The nose shows oak and peat at first, then notes of dried fruits, orange and pepper­mint. It's complex and rather nice but a little too oaky. The palate is at first mild and subtle with notes of dried fruits and gin­ger­bread but de­velops quite a bit of oak (again, too much). Oaky yet nice finish. Prom­is­ing start but ultimately dis­ap­point­ing. (85 p)

Chivas Regal 18 y.o.:
The nose is oaky and a little earthy, but there are also very nice notes of citrus and vanilla. Rich palate with notes of spices (ginger, cloves) and dried fruits (raisins, prunes). It's also fairly oaky (but not ex­cess­ively so). (86 p)

The comparison of these two Scotches was a closer match than I thought. I have fond memories of the Blue Label so I expected it to win this duel. However, even though I rather liked its peaty note I found the Blue Label ex­cess­ively oaky. In the end I actually pre­ferred the Chivas (which costs less than half as much as the Blue Label).

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