I killed that last bottle of Johnnie Walker Red and was itching to try a full bottle of Black. I had two 200ml bottles between two Reds, but honesty, I hadn’t had enough Red in order to appreciate such a small taste of Black.

A few weeks ago, my wife poured two glasses and put them side-by-side for me to taste-test. Honestly, I couldn’t tell them apart. That was a few bottles ago, so I figured I’d treat myself to a 750ml bottle of Black and see if I was now up to the task..

I guess for an extra $10 bucks, you get a nice box.



The Black is aged for 12 years, whereas the Red is only aged for about 3-4 years.



Ooh, what a nice color; definitely darker than the Red.



I have to say it is a lot better than the Red. I’m not going to go into the “nose”, or the finish, and hints of blah, blah, blah on the pallet because I don’t talk like that. When I drink, it’s either “bad”, “good”, or “better”. Johnnie Walker Black is definitely better than the Red.

I’d been drinking it neat all week. I’ve read that it’s a little crass to mix it with anything, but whatever. It’s hot outside and I need a cool beverage. I almost finished the bottle when I figured I’d bite the bullet and try it with some ginger beer.

Waaaay better than Red and ginger ale. Sooo good! I could drink these until I’m silly.



I’d love to drink Black forward going, but at $35 a bottle, that could get pretty expensive. I think I’ll stick with the $25 dollar Red as my “everyday whisky” and just treat myself every now and then to a bottle of Black. Or Double Black for that matter. That stuff is $40 a bottle. For an extra $5 bucks, it just might be worth it. That’s not as outrageous as the Gold, Platinum, Green, or Blue. Once you start talking about $60-$100 a bottle then we’re talking about birthday and Christmas presents.

Needless to say, I finished the Black and needed another bottle. I picked up another Red just to save a few bucks. Wow! What a difference. I read one site that said if you’d been drinking Black regularly, going back to Red would taste like drinking glass. That might be an exaggeration, but there’s definitely a noticeable burn when swallowed that’s not there on the Black. I guess that’s what they mean when they say the Black is smoother. In any case, it’s still good.