11 May Whisky Wednesday: World Class Cocktail Week whisky tasting

As part of World Class Cocktail Week this week, we take a look at three whiskies from the Diageo Reserve range of drams – available tonight as a tasting board with Japanese accompaniments.

Whisky: Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve
Distiller: Johnnie Walker
Country: Scotland
Type: Blended whisky
ABV: 40%

Nose (what does it smell like?):
Honey, heather, caramel, nutmeg, gingerbread, banana

Palate (what does it taste and feel like?):
Honeyed sweetness, caramel fudge, meadow flowers, spiced, sweet vanilla

Finish (how does the flavour finish on the palate?):
Long, sweet, toffee-like, creamy, light smoke

Background

Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve is a personal creation of Johnnie Walker Master Blender Jim Beveridge. Part of the range of the most widely distributed brand of blended Scotch whisky in the world, the Gold Label is a harmonious blend over 15 single malt whiskies from Speyside and Highland, with just a hint of smouldering embers from the West Coast. Included in the blend is the Clynelish single malt, whose distillery was fed with water from hills where gold was once discovered, which is a nice association with the name and label.

Whisky: Singleton of Dufftown Spey Cascade
Distiller: Dufftown, Speyside
Country: Scotland
Type: Single malt whisky
ABV: 40%

Nose (what does it smell like?):
Fresh and mild, brown sugar, baked apples, wood, marzipan, ripe red berries

Palate (what does it taste and feel like?):
Soft, stewed fruits, spice, oak

Finish (how does the flavour finish on the palate?):
Gentle, marzipan, baked fruits

Background

The Singleton whiskies are distilled in the Dufftown distillery of Speyside, where single malts have been produced since 1896. The unique bottle shape of The Singleton of Dufftown is inspired by a traditional hipflask while the colour of the glass reflects the blue flint glass used at the turn of the previous century. The Singleton’s signature release in its taste-led single malt range, the Spey Cascade Scotch whisky expression is made with a mix of Dufftown whiskies aged in both bourbon and sherry casks.

Whisky: Bulleit Bourbon
Distiller: Four Roses Distillery
Country: Lawrenceberg, Kentucky, USA
Type: Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey
ABV: 40%

Nose (what does it smell like?):
Orange zest, spice, sweet oak, vanilla

Palate (what does it taste and feel like?):
Maple, nutmeg, tobacco leaf, oakilla

Finish (how does the flavour finish on the palate?):
Long, dry, satiny, light toffee

Background

Inspired by the whiskey pioneered by tavern keeper Augustus Bulleit in the 1830s in Louisville, Kentucky, Bulleit Bourbon is a blend of rye, corn and barley malt, along with special strains of yeast and pure Kentucky limestone filtered water. The bourbon’s high rye content gives it a bold, spicy character and a distinctively smooth, clean finish. Kentucky limestone-filtered water provides a foundation for the bourbon’s character, while charred American oak barrels lend a smoky backbone.

Come and try these three whiskies tonight at Tokyo Bird as part of #WorldClassCocktailWeek!