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Johnnie Walker Double Black | Kevin Rye.net - Whisky

Kevin Rye

Geek Extraordinaire. Yeh, I said it.

Johnnie Walker Double Black

After drinking a bottle of Black, going back to a bottle of Red really showed me the difference. Not that I'm knocking the Red, but the Black was so much smoother and didn't burn as much when swallowed like the Red does.

After killing another bottle of Red, I figured I'd treat myself to a bottle of Double Black. I read online that Double Black is closer to what Black used to be like "back in the day". I guess the recipe has drifted over time. Rather than replace Black entirely, and turn off long-time fans, Johnnie Walker decided to come out with a new "Double Black" as a separate line.

In addition, if you were used to Black as your everyday whisky, having to drop yet another $10 bucks or so for Double Black would be a real turnoff.

It's a little more expensive than Black, but at $43 a bottle, I don't feel like I bought myself an early Birthday present. So I don't fell so bad splurging.

It comes in a really nice box. I guess the dark wood grain is indicative of the charred barrels it was aged in, hinting at the smokey taste it has.

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It comes in a darker bottle than the Red and Black. It's not clear at all. In fact, it almost has a bluish tint to it.

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I poured myself 2 fingers and tried it out. Wow! It's potent! It's like Black and then some. I read one review that talked about black tea, pin needles, iodine, and fish nets drying in the sun. I don't get that kind of talk. It's either good or it's bad. One thing's for sure, it's very clean and doesn't burn much at all. You can also really taste those smokey barrels. It couldn't pick it out at first, but after a few sips, I could taste a hint of burnt wood. It's good, but I wouldn't say it's so good that it's worth paying the extra. I'd sooner stay with Black and save a few bucks. I wouldn't mind getting one for Christmas, but I probably wouldn't buy it on my own again.

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A bottle of Black, then a bottle of Double Black! Man, that Red is going to taste like drinking broken glass after this. I may have just ruined it for myself!