Is Johnnie Walker 18 a critics' whisky or a drinkers' whisky?
Here is the odd thing about Johnnie Walker 18. The critics and the drinkers see it differently. On how the critics rate it, it sits in the top 21% of the whiskies at Dan Murphy's. On how broadly everyday drinkers like it, it lands in the bottom 7%. Same bottle, two verdicts. So which one is yours?
Start with what is in the glass. Complex and elegant from the first sip, with a woodsmoke note like a bonfire of green twigs, ashy peat embers and the smell of grain stores. Underneath runs vanilla cream and honey over baked apples, then golden syrup flapjacks, vanilla fudge, candied apricot and orange peel, a little gingerbread and pepper, and a catch of smoke that carries into the finish, where citrus and honeyed grains show up. Classical in style, but easy to get on with.
What to pay. Johnnie Walker 18 is $131 at Dan Murphy's this week. Work it out as a pour at home and it comes to about $5.93 a standard drink, with roughly 22 standard drinks in the bottle. A pint at the pub, about $13 for its two standard drinks, runs about $6.28 a standard drink. So a measure of this on your own bench sits just under a pint out.
1/Johnnie Walker 18 is $131 this week. Price its age, strength, name and style the way the rest of Dan Murphy's is priced and you land near $181. That's about 28% under the going rate for its own features. Worth a quiet look.
2/What makes up that $181? Age carries most of it at 55%. Sherry and dried fruit, 20%. The name on the label, 18%. Strength, 7%. Age alone sets more than half.
3/Here's what the going rate can't see: peat smoke and sea air. That ashy, bonfire-smoke note is where Johnnie Walker 18 is strongest, and none of the features that set the $181 carries a price for it.
4/More isn't always better. Royal Salute 21 is $210 and gives a Johnnie Walker 18 drinker about 91% of what the 18 does. Per standard drink, the 18 is $5.93, under a pint at the pub ($6.28); the 21 is $9.51, over it. Want the 18? Yes. Want more years? The 21.
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Also from the Islands desk
Johnnie Walker 18: stand-in 1
Fancy a Johnnie Walker 18 but eyeing the price? Chivas Regal 18 gives you about 97% of what you love about it, for 95% of the price, at $125 this week. Nose of vanilla and toffee, soft oak and spice on the finish. More on Johnnie Walker 18 in this week's piece.
Johnnie Walker 18: neighbours' price
Who's it for? Anyone chasing woodsmoke and honeyed oats; I'd pour it gladly. Its neighbours' drinkers would pay $120 to $231 for Johnnie Walker 18, each from their own bottle. This week it's $131, inside that range. More in this week's piece.
Johnnie Walker 18: per drink
Pour one after dinner, lamps low. Johnnie Walker 18 works out at $5.93 a standard drink, just under a pub pint's $6.28 a standard drink. Woodsmoke off green twigs, honey over baked apples, a catch of smoke into the finish. More in this week's piece.
Flavour spotlight: peat smoke and sea air, under $100
Peat smoke and sea air, all under $100. The Scotch single malts at Dan Murphy's with the most of it, from their own reviews: Caol Ila 12, $99: fish and bacon off a beach barbecue, lightly oily and meaty. Smokehead Islay, $76: young and fiery, toffee apple, charcoal ash and peppered seaweed. Lagavulin 8, $99: straight to the shore, mineral and salt, then a breezy menthol. Glen Moray Peated, $72: sweet smoke and vanilla, lemon icing, a soft ashy finish. Talisker 10, $92: a sweet pear under the smoke, finishing on cracked black pepper. Five routes to the same coast. Pick your weather.
Royal Salute 21: tasting
I kept coming back to the orchard fruit on Royal Salute 21. Masses of it, a hint of passion fruit, then a drop of water lets a banana note up. Thick and chewy, a little nut on the finish. $210 at Dan's. More on it in this week's piece.
Royal Salute 21: stand-in 1
Like Royal Salute 21? Johnnie Walker 18 gives you about 91% of what it does, for 85% of the price. That's $179. Woodsmoke, honey, baked apples. More on Royal Salute 21 in this week's piece.
Royal Salute 21: neighbours' price
Hand Royal Salute 21 to a Chivas Regal 18 drinker and they'd pay about $99 for it, close to 79% of what their own bottle costs, marking it down mostly for the name on the label. More on where Royal Salute 21 sits with its neighbours in this week's piece.
Royal Salute 21: per drink
Royal Salute 21 runs about 22 standard drinks a bottle, so a pour at home is $9.51. A pint at the pub sits near $6.28 a standard drink. The 21 lands above that; Chivas 18 slips under at $5.66. What's a fair price for a pour in your own glass? More in this week's piece.
Royal Salute 21: stand-in 2
Like Royal Salute 21? Chivas Regal 18 gives a Royal Salute 21 drinker about 85% of it, for 60% of the price, at $125. Vanilla, almond slice and toffee on the nose. Malt, dark fudge and raisin, then a warm, long finish. More on Royal Salute 21 in this week's piece.
Caol Ila 12: tasting
Caol Ila 12 is a beach barbecue in a glass: fresh fish wrapped in bacon, a squeeze of lemon. The palate turns oily and meaty, medium smoke carrying pineapple and melon, then dries into peppery peat. Caol Ila 12, $99 for members. Which barbecue is yours? More this week.
Caol Ila 12: stand-in 1
If you reach for Caol Ila 12, Bowmore 12 gives you about 98% of what it does for 96% of the price, landing at $95 for members, with tropical fruit, sweet smoke and a touch of brine on top. Worth a pour. The full story on Caol Ila 12 is in this week's piece.
Caol Ila 12: neighbours' price
Ask the drinkers of the bottles nearest Caol Ila 12 what they'd pay for it, each starting from what they pay for their own, and the answers land between $77 and $101. At $99 for members it sits near the top of that spread. The full read is in this week's piece.
Caol Ila 12: per drink
Caol Ila 12 comes to about $4.17 a pour at home, near 24 to a bottle, while a pint at the pub lands around $6.28 a standard drink, so the sofa wins on arithmetic if not on company. Worth a nightcap on the numbers? More in this week's piece.
Caol Ila 12: stand-in 2
Like Caol Ila 12? Here's a stand-in. Highland Park 12 gives a Caol Ila 12 drinker about 94% of what Caol Ila 12 does, for 91% of the price. $90 for members. Fragrant and floral, heather and honey, a wisp of smoke. More in this week's piece on Caol Ila 12.
Bowmore 12: price per drink
Caol Ila 12 costs $4 more a bottle than Bowmore 12, but at 43% against 40% it's the cheaper drink: $4.17 a standard drink against $4.30. Per standard drink this week: • Highland Park 12 — $90, 40%, $4.07 • Caol Ila 12 — $99, 43%, $4.17 • Bowmore 12 — $95, 40%, $4.30 All three come in under a pint at the pub ($6.28 a standard drink). Pour the Caol Ila of an evening: fish and bacon off a beach barbecue, a squeeze of lemon, peppery peat drying the finish. After honey, heather and a wisp of smoke, it's the Highland Park; sweet smoke and peaches, the Bowmore.
Ledaig 10: tasting
Pour Ledaig 10 of an evening and the peat lands brisk and bracing, its raw edge softened by honeyed vanilla, earthy smoke, ripe barley and a twist of black liquorice. $99 for members at Dan Murphy's, where it usually sells around $104. More in this week's piece.
Ledaig 10: stand-in 1
If Ledaig 10 is your smoke, Talisker 10 sits right alongside it: a Ledaig 10 drinker gets about 99% of what they came for, at 93% of the price. That's $92 for members, sweet pear and cracked black pepper under the smoke. More on Ledaig 10 in this week's piece.
Ledaig 10: neighbours' price
Ask the drinkers of the bottles nearest Ledaig 10 what it's worth to them. Their answers run $86 to $133, each from what they pay for their own. At $99 for members it sits inside that range, an easy yes for the peat drinker. More on Ledaig 10 in this week's piece.
Ledaig 10: per drink
They're all smoky, each in its own way. Ledaig 10 comes to $3.87 a standard drink — a pour at home, around 26 to the bottle. A pint at the pub runs about $6.28 a standard drink. More on Ledaig 10 in this week's piece.
Ledaig 10: price guide
Earthy peat smoke, honeyed vanilla and a stick of black liquorice, a brisk punch with soothing sweetness beneath. That's Ledaig 10, $99 for members at Dan Murphy's this week. It usually sells around $104, so take this as a gentle guide. More in this week's piece.
Lagavulin 8: tasting
Light in colour but no wimp: Lagavulin 8 heads for the shore with mineral and salt, then menthol, bay laurel and Parma violet, breezy as peat smoke blown off a kiln into salt-laden air. It's $99 for members at Dan Murphy's this week. Pour one; the full piece is on Lagavulin 8.
Lagavulin 8: stand-in 1
Talisker 10 gives a Lagavulin 8 drinker about 95% of what the Lagavulin 8 does, for 93% of the price. $92 for members. Pour it and the smoke lifts to a sweet, pear-like note, then a hit of cracked black pepper. More on Lagavulin 8 in this week's piece.
Lagavulin 8: neighbours' price
Ask the drinkers of Lagavulin 8's nearest neighbours what they'd pay for it, each starting from their own bottle: $90 at the low end, $142 at the high. At $99 for members, it sits inside that range. The full read on Lagavulin 8 is in this week's piece.
Lagavulin 8: per drink
Ever worked out what a pour at home actually costs you? Lagavulin 8 comes to about $3.73 a standard drink, where a pint at the pub sits closer to $6.28 for the same measure. The full piece on it is up this week.
Talisker 10: tasting
Talisker 10: I get a sweet, pear-like note under the smoke on the nose, an easy palate, then a finish with a crack of black pepper. The smoke is there, but it never takes over the whole room. $92 for members at Dan Murphy's this week. More on it in this week's piece.
Talisker 10: neighbours' price
Ask the drinkers of Talisker 10's nearest bottles what they'd give for it, each starting from what their own costs, and the answers run $90 to $135. At $92 for members, Talisker 10 sits near the bottom of that spread. Where each kind of drinker lands is in this week's piece.
Talisker 10: per drink
Talisker 10 is $92, about 25 standard drinks in the bottle, so a pour at home runs $3.64 a drink, against about $6.28 a standard drink for a pint at the pub. Pour it when you want cracked pepper and sweet seaweed on a cold night. More in this week's piece. Which way tonight?
Bowmore 12: tasting
Pour the Bowmore 12 and the nose turns tropical and sweetly smoky, with brine and new leather, then peaches and honey on the palate before cocoa powder and woodsmoke fade. A fine introduction to the distillery, $95 for members this week. More in this week's piece.
Bowmore 12: stand-in 1
Ripe red apples, a little heather, a wisp of smoke. That's Cragganmore 12, $86. For a Bowmore 12 drinker it gives about 97% of what Bowmore 12 does, at 90% of the price. More on Bowmore 12 in this week's piece.
Bowmore 12: neighbours' price
Pour one after the washing-up, the Bowmore 12 you keep by the kettle. Ask the drinkers of its nearest neighbours what they'd give for it: $69 to $97. At $95 for members, it lands inside their range. More on Bowmore 12 in this week's piece — worth a pour.
The numbers behind these bottles
| bottle | region | latest ticket | read | window price | CE 360° mean | premium | shelf rank | per std drink | drink rank | content |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highland Park 12 | Islands | $108.99 | observed | $90.00 | $74.58 | 17.1% | #3 of 9 | $4.93 | #7 of 9 | 23 |
| Isle of Raasay Single Malt Scotch Whisky | Islands | $121.99 | observed | $121.99 | $91.49 | 25.0% | #7 of 9 | $4.33 | #4 of 9 | 2 |
| Johnnie Walker 18 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky | Islands | $130.99 | observed | $178.99 | $131.20 | 26.7% | #8 of 9 | $5.93 | #9 of 9 | 37 |
| Johnnie Walker Double Black Blended Scotch Whisky 700mL | Islands | $75.99 | observed | $75.99 | $57.18 | 24.8% | #6 of 9 | $3.44 | #2 of 9 | 2 |
| Jura 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky | Islands | $99.99 | observed | $78.00 | $66.42 | 14.8% | #1 of 9 | $4.53 | #6 of 9 | 2 |
| Jura Scotch Whisky Rum Cask Finish | Islands | $83.99 | observed | $83.99 | $63.45 | 24.4% | #5 of 9 | $3.17 | #1 of 9 | 2 |
| Ledaig 10 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky | Islands | $111.99 | observed | $108.99 | $87.68 | 19.6% | #4 of 9 | $4.38 | #5 of 9 | 22 |
| Talisker 10 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky | Islands | $107.99 | observed | $92.00 | $77.70 | 15.5% | #2 of 9 | $3.64 | #3 of 9 | 22 |
| Talisker Port Ruighe Single Malt Scotch Whisky | Islands | $148.99 | observed | $148.99 | $101.17 | 32.1% | #9 of 9 | $5.89 | #8 of 9 | 3 |