Introduction
JW Black Centenary Pack
Is that a long title or what? That was the title of an event put on by Diageo’s Johnnie Walker brand on 9/29/09 as part of a celebration of 100 years of Johnnie Walker Black Label. The host of the webcast was Andrew Ford, Master Blender for Johnnie Walker, and they aired the event from the Brandy Library in New York City. It was an interactive webcast, with participants able to ask questions via web form during the presentation. Attendance was by invitation only, owing to the “Art of Blending” kit sent to each participant (details below).
So, how did I get an invite? I don’t know how to put this, but I’m kind of a big deal. People know me. I’m very important.
Ok, so maybe that Anchorman quote doesn’t apply…I’m nobody, and definitely not a big deal. However, the guys over at WhiskyParty.net apparently ARE a big deal, and they got an invite. I was fortunate enough to have them give my name to their PR contact at Johnnie Walker. I exchanged emails with the JW rep on Sunday before the Tuesday event, and my “Art of Blending” kit arrived via FedEx an hour before the webcast. Thanks Mike and Dan!!!
The Art of Blending kit
"The Art of Blending" kit
The blending kit sent to each webcast participant included the following:
- 1 200ml bottle of Johnnie Walker Black
- 7 sample bottles containing 100+ ml of whiskies representing each region (plus an extra first-fill sherry speyside sample and a grain whisky sample)
- 1 Spiegelau whisky snifter (nosing glass)
- 1 measuring device
- 1 funnel
- 1 empty sample bottle for storing your own blend
- A tasting map
- A map of the whisky regions of Scotland
- A USB thumb drive with Johnnie Walker Black Label 100th Anniversary press materials and bio of Andrew Ford
Kit contents
The Whiskies
JW Black 200ml plus blending samples
The sample bottles provided with the blending kit only contain high-level descriptions of region or type. They did not divulge the distilleries during the webcast, although there were a couple of hints, and possibly some facial expression give-aways by Andrew Ford during Q&A. Also, all of the samples are representative of whiskies that would go into JW Black (which contains 40+ malts and grains), so they’re at least 12 years old.
Unfortunately, I’m recovering from a cold, so I’m saving full tasting and blending experimentation until my nose and throat are back to normal. My sinuses did clear up enough to be able to somewhat enjoy nosing them, and I did taste a couple.
About the sample bottles:
- Grain whisky – A very sweet, mild whisky with a definite “grain” aftertaste. Mr. Ford talks about grain whisky being important for blends, providing sweetness and drinkability. He likens it to rice or pasta in a food dish. I don’t know that I’m buying it. If it cost the same to produce a grain whisky and a single malt, would they really still choose to put the grain in the blend? I know it’s possible to create sweet, light, consistent tasting single malts these days.
- Lowland – This is almost certainly Glenkinche, given that there are very few lowland distilleries (even taking into account closed ones) associated with Diageo. Mr. Ford also gave something of an acknowledging smile when somebody guessed that it was Glenkinche.
- Speyside – Again, Mr. Ford seemed to almost give away the speyside distillery. He talked about Cardhu being a cornerstone malt for the Johnnie Walker blends. This is one that I tasted side-by-side with JW Black, and you could tell that it’s a big part of the blend.
- Sherry Cask – A very strong sherry smell that reminds me of Aberlour a’bunadh. He mentioned that it was a speyside malt. Possibly a Mortlach?
- Highland – A big clue was given for this one, when it was announced that our Highland sample was from a West Coast distillery. Oban jumps right to mind with that geographical reference. I tasted this one as well, but I’ve only had Oban once before. I need to get a bottle to have on hand for reference. It kind of reminded me of Clynelish (from memory), but that’s on the East Coast.
- Island – This one sure smells like Talisker, and wouldn’t you know that is a Diageo distillery and one that is known to play a big part in JW blends.
- Islay – I figured this would be Caol Ila, but nosing it as best as I could with my cold, it sure seemed to have the Lagavulin iodine in it. Score! I can’t wait to taste this one. [Update: I poured a little into a nosing glass and tried it, and I’m pretty sure it’s Caol Ila 12]
The webcast
Webcast with Master Blender Andrew Ford
Tomorrow, I’ll post a full review of the webcast presentation by Andrew Ford. I’ll also share some of the questions and answers from the event. Then I’ll probably do a third post about the whiskies once I’m healthy, and share the recipe and tasting notes for my own custom blend.
In the mean time, you can read an excellent overview of the webcast on the WhiskyParty.net web site, or check out the live blogging post by Liquor Snob.
Next Post: Part 1 of the webcast
Scotch Hobbyist's Blog 
jeff
lucky you living in the USA. lots of PR going on these days there.
very nice idea. wouldn’t mind to get me a nice box like that. but i am here in the silly country of Israel, away. we’re too little a market to even look at , and with 200% tax on scotch most of the whisky is bought at duty free shops…
i dont have a JW black at home in my (growing, growing) whisky bar. but it’s a fine blend , noone can say it’s not.
good remark on the grain. i dont think anyone would put it in if it cost like single malt. it’s really something to make the blend cheaper… good point.
waiting for your next post.
btw: did you actually blend the JW? i know there are lots of other malts in each JW black, so this is only just a few of them?
as for Glenkinchie, i know its diageo’s lowlands malt, but i bought it, and i am not very fond of it. it’s not that good in my opinion.
great post again. pleasure!
Slainte!
Gal, Israel.
We didn’t actually do any blending exercises like I had hoped. He pretty much left it up to us to take the discussion of the various flavors and regions and play with the kits on our own after the webcast.
He described the seven samples that we got as the “big building blocks” of JW Black, which actually contains 40+ whiskies.
I’ve got a ton of notes on the webcast itself. I think I might need to divide it into two posts.
Thanks for the comments, Gal!
Cheers,
Jeff
[…] [and] burnt embers after a bonfire, slightly antiseptic.” This malt was perhaps Lagavulin (Scotch Hobbyist’s informed guess) and perhaps Caol Ila (my guess), but Ford mentioned that as the master blender, he is […]
Yeah, that webcast was a lot of fun. Great pics, nice post, btw.
I haven’t cracked my kit yet, though, so that should be fun, too. Our own SLC nosed the Islay sample and guessed Laga also, so you guys might be on the right track there. Definitely agree with you the rest of the way down.
Were any of those questions yours?
-Mike Ef
Thanks Mike,
I’m still having troubles getting my sinuses cleared up. When I do, I’ll definitely spend a little more critical time with the samples…especially the Islay.
I didn’t think to ask questions until the end, when I asked if he had any ideas/recipies to share with us using the seven samples provided. I was hoping we’d do an actual blending exercise where he would walk us through a particular recipe and discuss the way the whiskies interact with each other.
How about you? Did you ask anything?
Thanks,
Jeff
[…] Webcast with Johnnie Walker Master Blender Andrew Ford.” Whew! My first, introductory post is here. Andrew Ford was the host of the webcast, airing from the Brandy Library in New York City. The […]
Jeff, you lucky dawg! Awesome press and sample kit! Can’t wait for you to post your tasting notes.
Grain whiskies are quite distinct from malts. They are not better or worse, just different.
Yes, grain whiskies are cheaper to produce and, yes, that does help costs in a competitive drinks market. But I think you underestimate the positive role of grain whiskies in balancing the more intense malts to make a drink that is much more palatable to many drinkers than the malts would be on their own.
I suggest that without grain whisky adding easily enjoyed lighter flavours to blends, many of our favourite malt distilleries would not have survived to the present day.
A well matured grain from a good bourbon cask can be a vanilla dessert delight. I heartily recommend the well named Hedonism from Compass Box to see what grain whisky can deliver.
Cheers,
Douglas
Thanks for the great comments, Douglas! This is definitely an area where I could use some education. Like you said, it IS cheaper to produce grains, so it makes sense that cost/profit is at least part of the picture.
As for there being more to it than profit, I can see where you’re coming from as I think a little more about some of my experiences over the past year. I had a bottle of Johnnie Walker Swing that I loved on first purchase. It was one of the first 4-5 whiskies I bought. It was also a favorite for several of my non whisky-drinking friends. After a few months of single malt experimentation, it got to where Swing seemed TOO sweet to me, and I kind of lost interest in it.
I don’t think I’ve turned into a complete single-malt snob, though. I’ve been extremely positive about JW Black, White Horse 12 year and Black Bottle 10 year. My comment in the post above was really based on the fact that my level of enjoyment with blends has seemed relative to cost. JW Black is awesome for $19.99/bottle! If it cost the same to make grain as single-malt, though, I don’t know that I’d be buying it for $50-$60/bottle.
Also a good point about trying Hedonism. It’s been very well received, and I need to put it on my list of whiskies to try. I sure wish it cost a few dollars less…
Thanks again,
Jeff
jeff,
i agree. i also enjoy blends at home, but only when i feel like something milder and less complex.
i do love the Blackbottle and the Islay mist, and teacher’s. i also found out that my friends who dont drink scotch prefer the blends.
sipping a single malt with a certain profile you like is an experience which nothing can match.
as for grain only whisky, like the Hedonism, i do agree, it’s too steep a price to pay for grain, i must admit never had 100% grain whiskey. need to try it someday.
it’s also very funny that today, the top whisky in the 2010 whiskey bible turns out to be a rye whisky… which some people consider a lesser whisky.
slainte !
Ah, yes…Islay Mist. There’s another one I need to try.
I’ve also been planning to pick up a bottle of the regular Sazerac Rye, but now I might need to splurge for the 18 year to see what the fuss is about.
yes u need to try that one. cheap and good. Laphraoig all over the place, nose and palate.
how much is the Sazarec 18 year? is it very expensive?
[…] two-thirds of the webcast, where Mr. Ford walked through the 7 samples that were provided in the blending kit. I’ll share Mr. Ford’s insights, as well as his answers to questions that were posed […]
Hey all,
I have a question about the JW Centenary bottle.
Just wondering how you open the damn bottle. its got some plastic thing in it.
Thanks