Johnnie Walker Black Label

Johnnie Walker Black Label
Blended Scotch Whisky
12 Years Old
$32

The Johnnie Walker series of blended whiskies are ubiquitous on shelves and in bars throughout much of the world. The brand of choice of Winston Churchill, it is regarded by many as the classic "Scotch." Today I am tasting the Black Label, which signifies a blend of single malts and grain whiskies, all of which are at least 12 years old. It is a smoother and older whisky than the Red Label, which is blended with mixed drinks in mind. However, it is more affordable than the Green Label vatted malt or the Gold Label or Blue Label premium blends.

Johnnie Walker is named for a grocer who sold whisky in Ayrshire, Scotland. The brand was really begun by John Walker's son Alexander. The company's first blended whisky was made in 1865, and the characteristic square bottle was introduced in 1870. The whisky is blended today in Kilmarnock, and exported around the world.

Nose:
Wonderful maple syrup and honey aroma. Citrus undertones like orange zest. Green apples and brown sugar.

Palate:
Smooth flavor of malt with oaky bourbon flavor apparent as well. Sweet, balanced and easy to drink, with a light peat smoke on the finish which does not linger long.

The commercials for Black Label always show it being served over ice, but I think it's better neat. Ice brings out the buttery smoothness in a blend like Famous Grouse, but it really kills the rich maltiness of this one. Johnnie Walker Black Label is warming and sweet, with a rich flavor from the barrel aging, and a light smoky finish. The smoothness of well-chosen and well-aged grain whiskies is really clear in the flavors of this drink.

If one had to choose only one Scotch whisky for the shelf, I am inclined to think this may be the one to pick. A standard by which to measure other whiskies, blended and single malt alike. Inexpensive enough to drink and share with friends, and good enough to really impress.

Louis Garneau Deluxe Gloves

Louis Garneau
Deluxe Gloves
$16

Louis Garneau is a Canadian company specializing in cycling apparel. Founded in the mid-1980s by Louis Garneau, a bicycle racer and Canadian track champion, the company focuses on developing quality apparel at competitive prices. They offer a range of comfortable, fully-featured jerseys, helmets, shorts, and other apparel to fit a range of riders' budgets.

I purchased their least expensive glove, the Deluxe, on a whim several months ago because I liked the style of it. The brown synthetic leather and black (or white) mesh back gives it a slightly retro look. I have some other gloves, but these were inexpensive and, I figured, worth a try.

For the price, it is in fact an extremely comfortable glove. Unlike many higher-end gloves, however, the palms are only slightly ventilated. If buying a glove to use in hot summer weather, one is probably better advised to go with a glove like the higher-end Pilota or Air-Gel. These offer more Ergo-Air palm venting to keep the palms cooler. Also, the Pearl Izumi Elite Gel-Vent gloves use a nice system to vent cool air to the rider's palms. However, all of these have a little more padding than I usually prefer, and on the hottest rides I generally ride gloveless.

In the weather we've been having lately, however, the Deluxe gloves have been great. In weather from 55 to 75 degrees, my hands have stayed very comfortable, and the gloves provide great grip for both road riding and mountain biking, and I have a wide range of grips and handlebar tape on my different bikes. Damp-weather grip has been really good as well, certainly better than riding gloveless in wet conditions.

So far, my criticisms are that the seams and the velcro closure could be of better construction. Also, a real leather palm would fit better with the gloves' style, and probably give them more long-term durability. The material used for the thumb wipe would also be more effective if it were a terry-style fleece material instead of the fine microfiber which is used. However, on the whole the gloves are comfortable, grippy, nice-looking and inexpensive, and are perfectly adequate for regular use, especially in the weather we've been having this spring.

Highland Park 12 Year Old

Highland Park 12yo
Orkney Single Malt Whisky
$42

Today I am returning from blends to the world of single malt scotch whisky. Blended whiskies are made up of a proportion of malt, produced exclusively from barley at smaller distilleries with different formulas and characters, and grain whiskies, which are mass-produced more cheaply, often from several types of grain.
Single malt whiskies, as the name implies, are distilled from 100% malted barley. The barley is allowed to germinate (the malting process) which begins to convert some of the barley's starch into sugar. The malted barley is then smoked over a fire that often uses peat smoke to give the grain a characteristic flavor. This can vary greatly between distilleries, giving the world of single malt scotch the great variety that one can find today.

The Highland Park distillery is located on Orkney, off the northern coast of mainland Scotland. It is the northernmost operating distillery in the country. They continue to malt much of their own barley, a labor-intensive process that creates a unique final product. The Orcadian climate is exceptionally harsh for Scotland, with high winds that scour the island day in and day out, and greatly influence the vegetation that is able to survive there. This makes the peat different in character from that of Islay, for example, and makes this whisky quite different from the Laphroaig I sampled earlier on the blog. Highland Park has been called the "greatest all-rounder in the world of malt whisky" by renowned critic Michael Jackson. The 18 Year Old has been named best spirit in the world by one major reviewer.
It is a component of the Famous Grouse that I tasted last time.

Nose:
Alcohol burn is more present here than in Grouse. On second try, I get honeysuckle and heather. Samuel Adams Honey Porter. Flower nectar and light smoke, like a distant fireplace on a spring morning.

Palate:
Lots of oaky sweetness. Apples, maple syrup and bourbon, with a strong smoky peat finish. Sure enough, though, this peat has none of the medicinal characteristics of the Laphroaig; this smoke is smoother and tastes less like, well, dirt.

I poured myself a bit more than I intended, but that's ok—this stuff is really good. Definitely smoky, a characteristic shared by many island whiskies, apparently. I can taste some of the similarities between this and Grouse. The blend is still a great value for enjoying more regularly, but this is the real thing. It really is a fantastically balanced whisky. Neither the peat smoke nor the sweetness of the barrel are overpowering, and there are a bunch of flavors that come in rapid succession. This is on the cheap side for single malts (compare it to anything from Islay, or most Speyside highlanders). Not a bad bottle at all, especially at the price. This one is worth a try just for a taste of Orkney heritage.