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Johnnie Walker pays homage to its own historic legacy and Scotland’s as well with the latest ultra-rare expression. Crafted in honour of founder John Walker and his son Alexander, the new Johnnie Walker Aged 52 combines some of the label’s rarest reserves to produce one of the blender’s oldest releases to date.
It was largely thanks to the blending skills of John and Alexander Walker that Johnnie Walker went from a local favourite to one of the world’s most popular Scotch whiskies over the course of two centuries. The industry likewise continued to evolve during the same time span, as a host of exemplary distilleries emerged across Scotland’s famous five whisky regions.
With these concurrent legacies in mind, current master blender Dr Emma Walker and her team hand-selected some of the oldest and most precious casks at their disposal. The minimum 52-year age statement is no accident as it represents the ages of both John and Alexander when they died (respectively).
Whereas Johnnie Walker will often blend over 30 whiskies for their flagship statements, Aged 52 Years brings together just six Highland single malt whiskies and two Lowland single grain whiskies, including rare expressions from shuttered ‘ghost’ distilleries. Dr Emma Walker called it a “deceptively simple cask combination” that delivers “rare aromas, flavours, and character.”
The single-grain whiskies impart notes of vanilla, butterscotch, menthol, and spice, while the single malts bring in rich and juicy layers of raisin, orange peel, currant, wood spice, subtle smoke, and tropical fruit.
Putting its inspirations aside, Johnnie Walker Aged 52 Years will debut at a time when ultra-aged expressions are still the rage. Single malt distillery The Macallan have been steadily dropping some of their oldest releases to date, while the family behind The Glenfiddich have been releasing mega-rare blends through the House of Hazelwood collection.
These are two among countless examples as various blenders and distilleries explore the possibilities of prolonged maturation. Some folks scoff at the trend while pointing to peak ages for whisky while others embrace it, being always in search of unique flavour profiles or potential investments. We’d step into the discussion if we had more money to spend on all this liquid in the first place!
A celebration of craftsmanship and tradition, Johnnie Walker Aged 52 Years will be limited to just 200 bottles worldwide. It marries not just a number of hand-selected whiskies but also the concurrent legacies of the company founders and the industry at large. For those who buy a bottle, so goes the question: to open or not to open? We say crack that baby open and then invite us over for a dram. What, no takers?
