Coldorak's whisky blog.
We continue our series on older blends with three more bottlings: a James Martin’s V.V.O. from the 1970s, a Clan Campbell from the early 1960s, and a Langside bottled in the late 1960s or early 1970s. If you have not yet read part one, part two or part three, you can find them through their respective links. Now, let’s see how this new trio performs!
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After a short break in Wick, we’re back to the series on older blends – following part one and part two – with three more bottles from past decades. Today’s lineup includes two blends from the 1960s: Passport and House of Lords, followed by a more recent Talisman, bottled sometime in the 1990s or early 2000s.
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We continue our exploration of older blends, this time with three bottlings from the 1960s and 1970s: two Cluny releases and a C&J McDonald’s. The Cluny pair consists of a no-age-statement bottling from the 1960s and a five-year-old from the 1970s, followed by a C&J blend from the same decade. Let’s see how they compare.
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Today marks the beginning of a short series exploring blended Scotch from an earlier era. By ‘earlier’, I mean bottlings from roughly the 1960s through to the 2000s, although the main focus will be on the 1960s and 1970s.
We begin with three blends: Teacher’s Highland Cream, which has (kind of) appeared on the blog before; VAT 69, the long-established William Sanderson blend first created in 1882; and Cameron’s Black Prince, a name that was entirely new to me. Teacher’s and VAT 69 were major historic brands with distinctive identities, while Black Prince offers a more obscure point of comparison.
The aim of this review, and of however many follow, is not simply to indulge in nostalgia. Instead, it is to look at these older bottlings on their own terms and consider the familiar question: was whisky really better in the past?
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Johnnie Walker Blue Label has a habit of showing up in many forms, from the familiar to the highly collectible, and the four releases we are going to review are among the more intriguing examples. Building on last year’s look at the 18-year-old and two Blue Label editions, I’m now turning to the Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost & Rare Port Ellen, Ghost & Rare Glenury Royal, King George V, and The John Walker – three whiskies that each take the Blue Label idea in a slightly different direction, plus The John Walker, in its own even more premium category. They are all very much premium blends, but what makes them worth exploring is the way each one balances rarity, depth, and the distinct house style Johnnie Walker is known for.
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In May 2024, I reviewed 8 old blends, ranging from the 1980s to one distilled before the Second World War, a splendid Ballantine’s 30-year-old. More recently, I reviewed a few modern blends, including another Ballantine’s, but this time it was a non-age statement, and it wasn’t as good as its ancestor. Far from it, and I’m sure the age of the components is not the only reason. Today, we return to old blends with a duo of 1980s J&B and Long John Blends. And since we reviewed recently the modern J&B, we’ll be able to see if it was better before!
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Compass Box, known for its inventive style of Scotch whisky blending, introduced a major update to its core range in July 2024. This change signals a fresh chapter for the brand, coming after John Glaser left in May 2024 and a period of careful planning about the direction of its whiskies. The new core range now includes six distinct expressions: the returning favourites Orchard House and The Peat Monster, the established Artist and Glasgow blends, and two new releases – Nectarosity and Crimson Casks. With this update, Compass Box has retired The Story of the Spaniard and Spice Tree, aiming to bring more clarity and definition to the line-up. Now, let’s take a closer look at the two latest additions: Compass Box Nectarosity and Crimson Casks.
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Living Souls is a new independent bottler that Calum Leslie, Jamie Williamson, and John Torrance founded. Together, they bring decades of experience in the whisky industry. They aim to take a different approach from other independent bottlers by focusing not on single casks but on delivering small batches, sometimes through a solera system. We will review three expressions from their batch #1 release: the Ninety-One & One, Secret Ardbeg 19-year-old, and Blended Scotch 40-year-old Living Souls.
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If you are a regular reader of this blog, you have seen reviews of mostly good to excellent whiskies and cognacs, along with a few other spirits. Occasionally, some were not that great. However, we have rarely reviewed really inexpensive whiskies here. So, it’s time for me to take courage and review five cheap supermarket blends, listed in alphabetical order and all without an age statement: Ballantine’s, Clan Campbell, J&B, Label 5, and William Peel. Wish me luck, and have the Gaviscon ready.
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Johnnie Walker is one of the most well-known Scotch whisky brands, established in 1820 by John Walker in Kilmarnock, Scotland. The brand’s square bottles and ‘Striding Man’ logo have made it instantly recognisable around the world. It produces a range of blended Scotch whiskies, catering to a variety of preferences, from everyday options to more premium releases. We’ll review today three whiskies sitting on the premium side, with the two Johnnie Walker Blue Label and the 18-Year-Old.
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