Whiskey, or the water of life according to the Scots, is a beautiful thing. Characterized by a variety of deep amber colors, interesting noses and flavors ranging from smoky to sweet, it is just as complex as wine. Well-known brand Johnnie Walker offers free whiskey tasting at the Boston Center for the Arts, and, while the event is commercial, the quality of the scotch is extraordinary.
The evening begins with crudit?©s, hors d'oeuvres and cocktails. The food is exquisite, including Turkish tangerines stuffed with gorgonzola and walnuts, warm ch?vre topped with sun-dried tomatoes and beef medallions in a red sauce. Naturally, this smorgasbord is complemented by plenty of Johnnie Walker cocktails.
Afterwards, the Walker family crowds the group into the "tasting theater" of the Calderwood Pavilion, filling long white benches and white tables surrounded by enormous projection screens. It is very chic - almost too chic. Each place setting features a carafe of water, ginger ale and soda, a bucket of ice and a color-coded placement for each whiskey label. Images of men in sports coats, expensive cars and women lying on secluded beaches swirl across the screens as the master of ceremonies begins the "tasting journey."
The master of ceremonies introduces each of the labels, each preceded by a multimedia presentation. He explains the best way to drink each variety and which occasions are best suited to each scotch. Between his constant taglines and the enormous multimedia display, it feels like being inside a commercial.
Thankfully, scotch speaks for itself. The journey begins with Johnnie Walker Black. Over 200 years ago in Kilmarnock, Scotland, a man named John Walker was famous for his tea blends. Recognizing that there was a market for blended scotch, he decided to try his hand at spirits.
Johnnie Walker Black, originally called Old Highland Whiskey, was his first scotch masterpiece. His son Alexander developed the branding for the scotch in 1867, including the signature square bottles and the slanting black label.
With notes of vanilla and citrus, Johnnie Walker Black is a pleasant, all-purpose scotch that exhibits strong viscosity and a deep amber color. This blended scotch comprises over 40 different whiskeys, each aged for at least 12 years. This particular blend tastes of brown sugar, and, when cut (by adding a few drops of water to the glass), the flavor becomes deliciously smooth and mild.
Johnnie Walker Gold, the family's next endeavor, is marketed as the "champagne of scotches" and accordingly served chilled. A blend of 18-year-old whiskeys, this scotch is particularly smooth and creamy. While the nose is muted due to chilling, there is still a subtle scent of spiced apples preceding the taste. Its deeper flavor and creamy mouth-feel suggests that this should be paired with rich chocolate desserts, in a chocolate martini or as an after-dinner drink.
Red Label is comprised of over 35 whiskeys, all aged for at least three years. The quality of this scotch definitely cowers below the others, and the master of ceremonies encourages using Red Label as a mixing base. Red Label originated when phylloxera, an insect, wiped out the grape harvests in Europe in the late 19th century.
This severely restricted the production of brandy, and the Walkers jumped on the opportunity to fill the void with this blend, originally called Extra Special Old Highland Whiskey. While normally mixed into cocktails with ginger ale and cola, a taste of it neat (or unmixed, without ice or water) reveals a nose smelling of tequila, but nothing comparable to the preceding labels.
Johnnie Walker Green is an incredible 15-year-old blend of just four whiskeys. Two of the blends are aged in bourbon casks, and the others are aged in sherry (the two traditional aging methods for whiskey). The nose is floral, with hints of peat and musk. The MC advised to spill just a drop into your hands before rubbing them briskly together; this burns off the excess alcohol and releases an incredibly heady, woody scent. The taste is just as exciting as the nose, and this scotch exhibits much more depth than any of the others. The first taste is smoky and warm, ending with a light sweetness that lingers on the tongue.
There were no drams of Johnnie Walker Blue on the color-coded placemats, and it seemed unlikely that the tasting would include this king of scotches. Suddenly, a line of black-clad women filed into the room carrying trays of snifters filled with just the smallest mouthful of the revered scotch.
Johnnie Walker Blue Label has won numerous awards, and a bottle can easily sell for $200 or more, so nabbing a taste is a real treat. The nose is surprisingly dense, yet simultaneously subtle. It is sharp - almost metallic - yet impenetrable with just a hint of peat. The taste is similarly unexpected. The flavor begins subtly but proceeds to spread and fill every crevasse of the mouth. It slowly warms and sweetens, expressing notes of honey, brown sugar and something totally indescribable. After the last sip, the taste lingers for nearly half an hour, leaving tasters hesitant to ever spoil the sensation.
The Johnnie Walker Tour visits cities across the country for two-week spells. If in need of a sophisticated drink with dinner, try scotch instead of wine; it is consistently enjoyable and sure to please.
