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Signature drinks with the new blends
Johnnie Walker Blenders' Batch – As you all know, I recently visited the Munich Whiskey Market. This sparked my curiosity and thirst for knowledge about whisky, so I jumped at the chance to learn more about whisky, specifically the art of blending, at a Johnnie Walker event. During this fascinating event, we were shown what blending is, served drinks, and introduced to Johnnie Walker's two new blends.
„"Espresso Roast" and "Rum Cask Finish" are the names of the two new Johnnie Walker blends that together form the limited editions. The first question that might arise for the uninitiated is: What exactly is a blend and a blender? What is blending, and what makes these new blends so special?
„"The Art of Blending"“
About Johnnie Walker
First, a few facts about Johnnie Walker itself. Did you know that Johnnie Walker is the world's most popular Scotch whisky brand and is sold in over 180 countries? People all over the world drink Johnnie Walker. Aroma and quality were always paramount for founder John Walker – and that remains true today, with the entire Walker and Blenders team taking center stage. It all started with a small grocery store in Scotland, founded in 1820. Six generations of experienced Master Blenders pioneered the creation of new and bold flavors, and an international whisky company was born – known for elegant, authentic, and iconic blends, with almost 19 million bottles sold annually. The globally renowned range now includes Johnnie Walker Red Label, Black Label, Double Black, Green Label, Gold Label Reserve, Aged 18 Years, and Blue Label.
About Johnnie Walker Blenders' Batch
„Blending, or a blend, is a mixture or blend of different whiskies. The person who mixes them is the blender. Grain whisky is often used as the base for a blend, and sometimes up to 50 other whiskies are added.
The two new Blenders' Batch from Johnnie Walker
Johnnie Walker Blenders' Batch is a series of limited-edition, experimental whiskies produced in Scotland by a small team of experienced blenders—the same passionate individuals responsible for all the classic blends, from Johnnie Walker Red Label to Johnnie Walker Blue Label. The first releases in the series were Johnnie Walker Blenders' Batch Red Rye Finish, Johnnie Walker Blenders' Batch Bourbon Cask & Rye Finish, and Johnnie Walker Blenders' Batch Triple Grain American Oak, inspired by Master Blender Jim Beveridge's experimentation with blending bourbon and rye whiskey while working in Louisville, Kentucky, in the 1990s.
At the event itself, blending was presented and illustrated to us in the form of an art project (by visual artist Xaver Hirsch). A projector, a bowl containing various (oil) paints, and white hanging surfaces demonstrated how colors and shapes flow, meet, and combine—always in new and different ways—to create something new. This artistic, creative approach to blending is considered the benchmark in the production of the new, experimental whiskies from Johnnie Walker's Blenders' Batch range, including the "Espresso Roast" and "Rum Cask Finish" varieties.
Both neat and as a mixer, it's exciting in a glass.
A look at the new Blenders' Batch
Behind Johnnie Walker Blenders' Batch is a small team of twelve passionate and experienced Johnnie Walker blenders. Among them are Chris Clark and Aimee Gibson, two key team members in the creation of the "Blenders' Batch Espresso Roast," who aim to make whiskies that can be enjoyed by people with a wide range of taste preferences. Even those who previously dismissed whisky as uninteresting and avoided it should find themselves reconsidering their whisky choices with these new blends.
The Johnnie Walker Blenders' Batch "Espresso Roast" is a delicious, rich, and smooth Scotch whisky, carefully blended with pronounced, vibrant notes of coffee and dark chocolate. The surprising thing: despite its intense espresso flavor, it contains no espresso.
The Johnnie Walker Blenders' Batch "Rum Cask Finish," on the other hand, was created through intensive flavor experiments. Here, Scotch whisky is blended in casks that previously held Caribbean pot rum. The result is a smooth, spicy-sweet blended Scotch with intense, rich fruit notes.
These two blends not only resulted in superb whiskies, but also laid the foundation for fantastic cocktail creations. The varieties form the perfect basis for extraordinary cocktails. To allow you to taste the blends and discover the wide range of possibilities, two cocktail recipes were created by world-class bartender Philipp M. Ernst: "The Exception Rule" and "Question, Do You Love Scotch?".
The signature drinks
The following are the two recipes using the „Espresso Roast“ and „Rum Cask Finish“ blends.
The 1st Signature Drink: The Exception Rule
The Exception Rule – Signature Serve
Ingredients
– 50 ml Johnnie Walker Blenders' Batch Espresso Roast
– 5 ml passion fruit
– 10 ml Antica Formula
– Cardamom
Garnished with a lavender blossom
preparation
Crush the cardamom pods with a pestle in an empty whisky tumbler. Add all the other ingredients, fill with ice cubes, and stir. Garnish with a lavender blossom.
Question, …Do you love Scotch?
Question, do you love Scotch…? – Signature Serve
Ingredients
– 60ml Johnnie Walker Blenders' Batch Rum Cask Finish
– 20 ml rhubarb liqueur
– 20 ml apple juice
– 50 ml soda
Garnished with a strawberry
preparation
Place ice cubes in a highball glass. Add all ingredients and stir. Garnish with a strawberry.
My personal opinion
Give the Johnnie Walker Blenders' Batch a try – even if you don't have much experience with whisky. It's always worth trying something new. For me, the Blenders are best enjoyed in signature drinks and cocktails, but try them neat to discover just how much you can do with aromas, simply through the length of maturation, the combination of different flavor profiles, and more.
+++ This article was created in cooperation with Johnnie Walker. Thank you! +++
Johnnie Walker Blenders' Batch
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Pictures:
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- The two new Blenders Batch from Johnnie Walker
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- Both neat and as a mixer, it's exciting in a glass.
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- „"The Art of Blending"“
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- Signature drinks with the new blenders
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- The ex
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- Question, …Do you love Scotch?
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