Here’s the 2017 edition from the John Walker & Sons Private Collection, titled Mastery of Oak. This is the fourth limited edition in a series that celebrates the innovative spirit and craft of our blenders. This limited release of 5,588 individually numbered decanters reveals the full richness of cask character.
Master Blender Jim Beveridge, with fellow blender Aimée Gibson, selected rare and experimental casks to contribute distinctive flavours from three aspects of their Mastery of Oak in maturing and blending the finest Scotch Whiskies.
The first is a blend of malt and grain whiskies aged mostly in first-fill American oak, the second is a blend of Highland and Speyside single malts from refill casks, and the third is a blend of whiskies from a range of experimental casks (which features different char profiles, housed different drinks beforehand and some had even been “salt cured”!).
The whiskies were married for several months before combining in the 2017 Edition, a sumptuous blend of oak-rich fruit notes.
The John Walker & Sons Private Collection 2017 Edition Mastery of Oak – bottled in a glass decanter illustrated with rings of oak and an angled cut to reflect the iconic Johnnie Walker slanted label – is presented with the story of the blend in a box decorated with a swirling oak pattern to represent the variety of cask styles and effects in the blend.
The 2017 Edition (46.8% ABV) is best served neat, or with a few drops of ice water to accentuate the vibrant, fresh fruit notes of the original Speyside and Highland distillery characters.