Johnnie Walker Green Label to be discontinued

I meant of course Dominic Roskrow.

I just finished my first bottle of Green Label. It was very good and worth the price, so I'm sad to hear it will be replaced by some pricier Gold Label addition. No thanks JW, I guess I'll stick with the Black Label now, though stocking up on bottle of Green Label while I can comes first!

@DominicRoskrow and @drinix, thanks for the heads up! What a shame to see Johnnie Walker Green Label discontinued. Looks like I will be taking a trip to the store shortly. Dominic, I am truly sorry that you are in a professional position in which you are forced to acknowledge and use the official SWA terminology. Happily, I am not!

I've just ordered two bottles, although I haven't tried it yet. Based on what i read, it is a very good Vatted Malt. I'll stock up a little more in case it lives up to the expectations because it is fairly priced and there's something special about drinking/having bottles that aren't available anymore... even though with the huge quantity of bottles around, it won't be really rare in the future, i guess. It still somewhat hits my collector's instinct ^^

This is sad is it is actually a pretty good product at a fair price. It is/was also my wife's favorite scotch to make Rusty Nails. I'll have to grab a few bottles before they become scarce.

Sad to hear, I'll have to stock up too.

From Mark Gillespie of WhiskyCast's Facebook page:

Just heard from the PR folks for Johnnie Walker...there are reports going around that Johnnie Walker Green Label is being discontinued. The reports are inaccurate to a degree. Green Label will be available through 2013 and will be phased out at that point.

There's a discussion thread over on the WhiskyCast page:

www.facebook.com/WhiskyCast

Also, Dom's blog post is over at thewhiskytastingclub.co.uk/Blogs/domblog/… in case people hadn't found it. Dom didn't make it to the briefing at Diageo so may not have the full story - hopefully more information will be forthcoming.

From an industry standpoint I can see why it would be discontinued - it's the only Blended Malt in the range and with the SWA naming regulations coming in to force it no longer stands out so much to those who don't know what it is. Add to that the introduction of Platinum as a travel retail exclusive, and Double Black and Gold Reserve showing that they're trying to extend the current brands rather than keep quite as many different 'colours' and it is the obvious choice to fall by the wayside.

Doesn't stop it being annoying for fans, though.

@cowfish Thanks for the update. We may not need to stock up so soon. Still, it's a rather sad news and as you said annoying.

...and some more info from Diageo via @WhiskyBrotherSA on Twitter:

twitter.com//…

I went yesterday and bought a few bottles... even though I know I have til 2013. Better safe than sorry.

Always been on my wish list, just pulled the trigger for holiday after-dinner this week.

While I don't purchase Johnnie Walker very often, Green label is my favorite of their range. I picked up the "Johnnie Walker Collection" (4 - 20cl bottles. One each of Black, Green, Gold and Blue label) last year, so my family and I were able to sample them all side by side. With the exception of my wife who loved the Gold label, the rest of us preferred the Green label. Sorry to hear this news, but thanks to seeing this post prior to Christmas, I was able to alert the family and received a bottle of Green as a Christmas present. Thanks for the heads up. I really appreciate all of the information and knowledge I gain from the members of this site! Thanks again!

I can understand why they would discontinue it because people are starting to realize it's better than Blue Label and it's 1/3 the cost.

After reading the aforementioned messages I must say very disappointing news to hear from Diego! The reasoning behind this vatted malt with no apparent synergy within the JW range doesn't add up!

The original distileries behind this Vatted malt have made up the vast bulk of the JW range since its inception, why not produce a product that explains their depth and vast style differences! I hope, probably the wrong word, that JW see through this nonsensical process and that Vatted malts like green label continue for some time! WAKE UP DIEGO!

The rumours had been swirling for a couple of years, and I am truly sad to hear it is indeed true that this great blended malt is being discontinued.

I have heard scuttle but that the problem for Green label has always been weak sales volume. At the price point many consumers were opting for entry level 12 year old single malts. Who know's the real reason. It surely boils down to economics of some kind, like the ingredient malts could be used in other blends to yield higher profit, etc.

I think Diageo never properly promoted Green Label. Tons of marketing dollars supported Blue Label (which is not as good) and Black and Gold.

I definitely need to stock up!

I have to say I have never had JW Green. It is almost impossible to buy when it is the exact same price as Ardbeg 10 yo at my local liquor store.

From what I understand it is the most smoky JW. How can a peat head such as myself justify buying the Green over another bottle of Ardbeg for the cellar when they cost the same? I think I would need about 3 cases of Ardbeg before I felt I had enough to "explore" another smoky scotch for the same money.

Seriously, both are $49.95. And when I want to save money I grab the Laphroaig 10 yo for $35.95. And when I really feel cheap and need peat I get Finlaggan for $23.95. Who would buy JW Green over these other smoky peaty options?

Am I alone?

@Nock, JW Green is a different experience from a highly peated Islay whisky. Try it because it is a very well put together vatted Scotch malt, not because it has some peat. If you are looking for Holy Trinity peating here, you may be disappointed. But if you want to try one of the BEST vattings available, tasting like it is cut from whole cloth rather than a mixture of four, try JW Green Label. If peated-whisky funds make getting a bottle undesirable, get one of your buddies to share some with you!

@Nock Ardbeg 10 is (hopefully) not going anywhere, JW Green is. If that's not enough justification to strike and try something new then I don't know what is. That said, if you like the JW you then have the problem that you won't be able to get it for much longer, although I'm sure a few bottles of Ardbeg will help :)

Johnnie Walker Green is not very peated. Only slight amount and some heather to boot. For those who are peat and smoke freaks, they should not think Green is an Islay heavy vatted blend.

Nevertheless, it is a great malt that will be missed. I am stocking up. Have two bottles and will get some more.

Updated info from ScotchWhisky.net e-mail newsletter today... Johnnie Walker to get radical shake up Johnnie Walker Green Label, a 15-year-old blended malt, is to be phased out in the coming months, but will be given a 12-month stay of execution in the US. It will also remain on sale in Taiwan, where the blended malt category is thriving. Johnnie Walker Gold Label, an 18-year-old blend, will also be phased out by the end of the year... In their place Diageo has announced the global launch in May and June... of Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve, with no age statement, which has been sold for the last five years in south-east Asia; and Johnnie Walker Platinum Label, an 18-year-old blend...

Good news. JW Green is back! Did a search but haven't been able to find any news on its return. But I saw it in a couple local shops and I see dozens of online retailers across the US that once again show it as in stock. Not sure what lead Diageo to un-discontinue it, but I'm happy to see it return. I'll be grabbing a couple bottles just in case it's a limited time release.

Are you sure they're not just selling off old stock?

If the Johnnie Walker Green Label has been given a second-life, perhaps it is no longer a 15yo blended malt. I am thinking along the lines of what was done with regards to the change of Gold Label (18yo) to Gold Label Reserve (NAS). Would not seem to unlikely something similar might occur with Green Label.

I would second the assumption that it is just old stock that has been sitting around with the distributor. I have been to store that will "just get it" whiskies that were bottled 4, 5 and 8 years ago. I was able to pick up a 1981 Brora bottled in 2002 that just arrived at my local store in 2011. The reality is that some distributors here in the US can be very slow to move their bottles on to local stores.

My guess is that if Johnnie Walk Green did make a come back Diageo would make a big fuss about it.

Well I've received emails from two different online liquor retailers stating that "Johnnie Walker Green Label is back!" So it didn't sound like a last hurrah of some old stock. But if it is maybe I should grab a case now.

Confirmed as back in production for a limited time, at least in North America:

"Johnnie Walker Green Label was discontinued in North America, however, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of this world-renowned whisky we are releasing it as a limited time offering. Johnnie Walker Green Label should begin hitting store shelves throughout February 2015. I encourage you to speak with your local retailer to request they place an order for the product."

scotchaddict.com/is-johnnie-walker-green-ba…

Here's hoping the LCBO brings some in. I never got a chance to taste this before I really started to get into the whisky hobby.

I bought a case of JW Green from winechateau.com, they had a bottle for $50 and free shipping and not tax(if you live outside New Jersey) if you buy a case(4 in a case).

@DevD , nice link. Just browsed around on there for fun. The Green is a pretty nice deal—and just $2 more than the Black.

I'm not in the market for any JW but I bet others here will check that out.

No wait--beware the rest of that site! It's expensive as all get-out. The JW Green might be the only decent price I saw on there. Lagavulin 16 for $111, anyone?