Never a brand to rest on their laurels, Johnnie Walker have announced that they will push forward with a number of limited edition releases in the near future with their “Johnnie Walker Blenders’ Batch” range. The acclaimed scotch whisky will use this as a change to offer experimental expressions, lifting the lid on the skill and dedication that has fueled their blending team along with Master Blender Dr Jim Beveridge, a man who began making whisky over 40 years ago and is still finding new ways to push the envelope, so to speak.
“At any one time, there are hundreds of experiments into flavour being carried out by our blenders which involve making adjustments to atmospheric conditions, the types of wood and grain used, cask finished and other elements of whisky-making in the pursuit of exceptional new flavours”, said Beveridge, who is currently leading his team into further exploring alternative flavours including wine, coffee, and chocolate.
The first experiment off the rack is a focus on bringing the influences of bourbon and rye whiskey flavours to scotch, resulting in the Johnnie Walker Blenders’ Batch Red Rye Finish, a release inspired by the time Dr Beveridge spent blending bourbons and ryes in Kentucky during the 1990s. The blend was created using a very small number of malt and grain whiskies (including one from the now-closed Port Dundas distillery) exclusively drawn from first fill ex-bourbon casks, then finished up to six months in ex-rye casks to bring in a balance of intense sweetness, layered fresh fruit and spice.
“For the first release, we wanted to focus on what happens when the intensely sweet flavours that can be found in bourbon and rye whiskies are brought together with the depth and subtlety of carefully crafted scotch”, explained Beveridge.
Johnnie Walker have made this release available in limited qualities from this month in Australia on-trade. Off-trade specialist stores will also be selling the release from early October (RRP to be confirmed). The release of other whiskies in the series will be announced in the coming months.
For more information on Johnnie Walker click HERE.
Image supplied.
———-
