The Johnnie Walker Black Label set comprises a 0.7 l bottle of Diageo's flagship blended Scotch whisky along with two miniatures: Gold Label Reserve and Double Black. Three faces of the same family of blends, built around the brand's shared smoky character, but differing in intensity and profile.
The core of the set, Johnnie Walker Black Label, is a blended Scotch Whisky with a declared age of 12 years. It is made exclusively from single malts and grain whiskies matured in cask for at least 12 years, drawn from four corners of Scotland. The final blend is bottled at 40% ABV, chill-filtered and with added colouring. The profile offers gentle smoke up front, followed by winter spices such as clove, pepper and cinnamon, with sweet vanilla and subtle fruitiness underneath. On the palate a soft entry with a caramel texture, vanilla, sweet apples and barley sweetness, after which oak and alcohol bring building peppery spice and wood smoke.
Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve is a no-age-statement blended Scotch built around the Clynelish single malt. It is created from malt and grain whiskies from Diageo's roster, spanning distilleries in Speyside, Islay, the Highlands and the Lowlands, with Clynelish at the heart of the blend. This expression launched in 2012 and has remained part of the Label series ever since. The profile is creamy and honeyed, with sweet aromas of honey, caramel and a note of fresh banana, tropical fruit and smooth, creamy vanilla on the palate, plus a long, sweet-smoky finish. The whisky is bottled at 40% ABV.
The third element, Johnnie Walker Double Black, is an expression built on the Black Label base, but shifted towards smoke. Double Black expands the standard Black Label profile with a greater proportion of Islay whiskies and heavily charred casks, giving a more intense flavour with a stronger emphasis on smoke. It went on general sale in 2011 following a successful debut in travel retail. On the palate it shows full structure and complexity, with signature peaty smoke cutting through raisins and sultanas, apples, pears and orange peel, creamy vanilla and spices, while the long, warming finish brings peppery oak tannins and lingering smoke. This expression is likewise bottled at 40% ABV.