Johnnie Walker Collection Set

Johnnie Walker Collection Set is a multi-bottle assortment of blended Scotch whisky from the Scottish house of Johnnie Walker, with each bottling at 40% ABV. The set is built for side-by-side comparison, and the producer describes the range as running from smooth and smoky to rich and complex. Exactly which expressions and bottle sizes are included isn't specified in the product details, so check the box contents on the pack before planning a tasting around particular labels. Blended Scotch of this kind usually combines grain whisky for softness with malt whisky for flavor. Expect a light honeyed sweetness, vanilla and gentle oak from cask maturation, and a thread of peat smoke that is faint in some bottlings and more pronounced in others. The set's value is seeing how that smoke-to-richness balance shifts from one bottle to the next, so taste them in a deliberate order. Start with the lightest, least smoky bottle and finish on the boldest and smokiest, so peat doesn't mask the delicate ones. For tasting, pour about 30 ml of each. Try it neat first, then with a few drops of room-temperature water, which loosens the aroma and often softens the alcohol's edge at 40%. A single large ice cube in a rocks glass suits the rounder, sweeter bottles on a warm evening, but it will mute the smokier ones, so those are better neat or with water. A Glencairn is the best glass for nosing because its tapered rim concentrates the aroma. A heavy-bottomed rocks glass is the better choice for relaxed sipping or anything poured over ice. In cocktails, a blended Scotch works well in a Rob Roy, which is a Manhattan made with Scotch, sweet vermouth and bitters. It also suits an Old Fashioned with a sugar cube, Angostura and an orange peel, and a Penicillin or Whisky Sour where lemon balances the malt. For a Highball, use a lighter, less peaty bottle with cold soda water in a tall glass at roughly one part whisky to three parts soda, with a lemon twist. Save the smokier bottles for neat pours, or for a cocktail where a little peat is the point.