Nose: A light and fragrant scent touches my nose with heavy butterscotch, orange extract and dried fruits. The nose on this whisky is light and sweet with subtle hints of the bitter elements of citrus fruits commonly associated with their peel. The scent of pineapple wafts up with some pair, softly inviting me to taste the whisky. The age of this whisky, being 18 years old, is noticeable almost immediately. It is soft and subtle on the nose, without any overpowering smokiness or alcohol commonly associated with other whisky.
Colour: A rich gold with an amber glow.
Taste: Oily on the palate with a rich texture that screams of smoky butterscotch and honeycomb, beautifully complimenting the nose in almost perfect harmony. Matching up nicely with the nose are also explosions of citrus, especially orange, and tropical fruits. Smooth and intense, a strong smokiness emerges but then its sheer intensity deadens the senses slightly detracting somewhat from the experience. On the fourth sip, however, my tongue appears to be getting accustomed to the explosion gradually cede to bittersweet elements of maple and what I recognize as oak.
Finish: A vibrant and energetic warmth tickles my tongue and moves down my throat and into my esophagus. Remaining on my tongue are notes of lemon and orange extract, which eventually fade.
Overall: This is excellent whisky. The main and noticeable different I detect between this and the Johnnie Walker Green Label is the texture of the Johnnie Walker Platinum Label apart from some subtle variations in flavour. The Platinum Label seemed to take slightly thicker and resembled to some degree an oily residue. This possibly explains the lingering finish on the Platinum Label. The Johnnie Walker Platinum Label 18 Year Old is definitely a high quality and enjoyable whisky, but it is not distinctive and does not blow my socks off like the Johnnie Walker Green Label 15 Year Old. I think that the oily texture experienced with the Platinum actually detracts from the overall enjoyment of this blend. I will not compare this whisky to single malts.
I now look forward to trying the Johnnie Walker Swing and the Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve.
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