The whiskey scene constantly keeps drinkers on their toes with limited edition releases and surprise launches. While the average enthusiast prefers to enjoy a wide range of labels, others tend to stick with their favorites. When it comes to blended Scotch, Johnnie Walker never fails to delight. To make celebrations exceptional this year, it drops the Aged 52 Years.
News like this is bound to court controversy given age statements around this range are usually promoted by single malt whiskeys. Despite the common practice, there are no rules against blended categories to prevent this type of marketing. In short, expressions like the Aged 52 Years are free to appeal to its target crowd.
Who are these, you ask? Well, it’s practically anybody with a love for the complexities each brand brings to the table. Johnnie Walker is a stalwart supplier of curated blends and it will likely stay that way. Perhaps the only valid reason for interested parties to complain this time is the extremely limited run of 200 bottles.
However, with an eye-watering price tag of $25,000, we can already foresee ridiculous resale costs for a bottle of the Aged 52 Years. Reports reveal the recipe involves six single malts alongside two single grains for a total of eight distinct spirits. Overseeing this delicate operation is master blender, Emma Walker.
She stated, “Alongside my small team of whisky experts, we hand-selected some of our oldest and most precious casks of Highland single malt and Lowland single grain whiskies for my first ultra-rare release as master blender.” Since it’s practically impossible to sample the Aged 52 Years, we have no option but to rely on official tasting notes once published.
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Images courtesy of Johnnie Walker
