Johnnie Walker Blenders’ Batch Red Rye Finish

Introducing Johnnie Walker Blenders’ Batch; a new range of experimental whiskies and the first release, Johnnie Walker Blenders’ Batch Red Rye Finish. Inspired by the bold flavours of American whiskey, it was created by a whisky maker’s small team of expert blenders, led by master blender Jim Beveridge.

At any one time there are hundreds of ongoing flavour experiments being carried out by the Johnnie Walker blending team in Scotland, and the Red Rye Finish is the first of these batches. It includes malt and grain whiskies aged in first-fill bourbon casks and finished in rye casks. It took more than 50 experiments exploring 203 malt and grain whisky samples to hit upon Red Rye Finish and it was created using a blend of just four whiskies, including Cardhu single malt for its vibrant, fresh fruitiness, along with creamy, vanilla grain whisky from Port Dundas.

Jim Beveridge said: “Johnnie Walker Blenders’ Batch Red Rye Finish is inspired by my own fascination with the bold flavours of American whiskies which first developed while I was working with bourbons and ryes in Louisville, Kentucky in the 1990s. When making blended Scotch whisky, we like to think ‘from the bar back’, ensuring bartenders and people at home have the perfect liquids at hand to serve neat, on the rocks, or as the foundation of a flawless Scotch-based cocktail. In the case of Red Rye Finish, the end result is an incredibly contemporary whisky. It is smooth, sweet and deliberately light – to my mind, the complex character of Scotch given an exciting twist inspired by the best traditional American whiskey flavours.”

Johnnie Walker Blenders’ Batch Red Rye Finish is available from September in more than 50 countries with an RRP of €20. Visit johnniewalker.com for more information.