Johnny Walker Red Buying Tip

[greenbob]

One of the great things about buying Johnny Walker Red out here is that you can get the 1.75 liter bottle for the unbelievable price of $29. But the recipe has recently changed, and I do not like it. The new JWRed is harsh. I can't drink it without adding water to take care of the harshness. So it seems like the whiskey is made with more younger whiskies in the blend. It reminds me of Bowmore Legend.

But here's a buying tip. You can still find the older better JWRed in liquor stores. The bottles can be found sitting side by side with the new stuff. Here's how to tell the difference. The red label on the good old stuff is a brownish red. The lable on the new stuff is brighter. It's a cherry-red or apple-red. In addition, the Johnny Walker man is larger on the bottles of the new stuff. And on the 1.75 liter bottle there is a handle on the back of the bottle for the old stuff, but no handle for the new bottle.

[Nightcap]

When did it change, greenbob?

JW Red does indeed have a youthful heat to it, but the flavor is good, imho, and plenty strong enough to shine through whatever you're using as a mixer. (Ginger ale, I would hope.)

The Black label is simply superb; better than many single malts that sell for lots more.

[wrbriggs]

I agree wholeheartedly. My first >$20 bottle of scotch was the black label. I have since tried several of the single malts from the "Classic Malts of Scotland" collection, and I still prefer the blended Black Label. Maybe that makes me low class in the eyes of the single malt crowd, but I like what I like. I'll continue trying single malts to see if I find one I really warm up to. I've heard Highland Park is good, and I do greatly enjoy The Macallan 12 yr old (I heard that the Macallan is not peated, which may be why I enjoy it - I suspect the flavor in many malts that puts me off is the peat).

[greenbob]

When did it change, greenbob?

I don't know Nightcap. I'm guessing last summer. But it must have been recently because you can still see the cherry-red labeled bottles standing next to the brownish-red labeled bottles in the liquor stores with low volume whiskey sales.

I never mix whiskey. And so I'm done buying JWRed. Because I've had a bad cold for the last couple of weeks and therefore have had an impaired ability to taste, I took advantage of the situation to drink the last of my 1.75 liter bottle of the new. I'm glad to see it gone.