Johnnie Walker Blue Label has a habit of showing up in many forms, from the familiar to the highly collectible, and the four releases we are going to review are among the more intriguing examples. Building on last year’s look at the 18-year-old and two Blue Label editions, I’m now turning to the Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost & Rare Port Ellen, Ghost & Rare Glenury Royal, King George V, and The John Walker – three whiskies that each take the Blue Label idea in a slightly different direction, plus The John Walker, in its own even more premium category. They are all very much premium blends, but what makes them worth exploring is the way each one balances rarity, depth, and the distinct house style Johnnie Walker is known for.
Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost & Rare Port Ellen (2018) Review
Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost & Rare Port Ellen is a blended Scotch whisky released with no age statement (NAS). The specific cask types and maturation details for the overall blend are not officially disclosed, though the whisky is constructed using malts from the closed ‘ghost’ distilleries of Port Ellen, Caledonian, and Carsebridge, alongside rare expressions from Mortlach, Dailuaine, Cragganmore, Blair Athol, and Oban. It is bottled at 43.8% ABV. The bottle and packaging do not explicitly state its chill filtration or colouring status; however, at 43.8% ABV, standard Diageo practice can let us imagine it is chill-filtered and artificially coloured with E150a. This Ghost & Rare Port Ellen expression was bottled and launched in October 2018. The initial recommended release price was £275 or $350. Today, the bottle is highly collectible; the current lowest prices on the secondary market and specialist retail sit at £600 in the UK, on average €5–600 across Europe, and range from $400 up to a mind-boggling $1,600 in the US. Auctions will be your best bet, as the average price seems to be around €350–400 these days.
Colour:
Burnished.
Nose:
Neat: The nose opens with a gentle, maritime peat character, carrying notes of salty sea air, elegant smoke, and a distinct waxy quality. Beneath this coastal exterior lies a rich, sweet core of vanilla custard, marmalade on toast, and stewed orchard fruits. There are also darker, slightly boozy undertones reminiscent of fortified wine or sherry, alongside subtle spices like cinnamon.
Palate:
Neat: The whisky arrives with a velvety, slightly oily texture and an immediate creamy vanilla sweetness. This quickly evolves, bringing rolling waves of waxy citrus, baked apples, and tropical fruits like mango or pineapple. The Port Ellen influence shows through a balanced, earthy ash and coal dust note, accompanied by a warming oaky pepperiness and a gentle maritime brine.
Finish:
The finish is long, satisfying, and primarily driven by dry, ashy peat smoke and maritime brine. Lingering notes of toffee, creamy butter, and a final touch of fortified wine tannins gracefully wrap up the experience without turning bitter.
Comments:
This Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost & Rare Port Ellen Edition is a clear step up from the standard Blue Label. It brings more depth, more richness, and a noticeably better mouthfeel, though it also comes with a heftier price tag. In the end, this is at last a genuinely good Johnnie Walker Blue Label. Is it worth that much hard-earned money? Probably not – there are far better whiskies to be had for half the price – but would I happily enjoy another dram? Absolutely.
Rating: 7/10
Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost & Rare Glenury Royal (2019) Review
Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost & Rare Glenury Royal is a blended Scotch whisky released with no age statement (NAS). It is the third release in the Ghost & Rare series, built around the highly sought-after spirit from the closed Highland ‘ghost’ distillery of Glenury Royal, which shut its doors in 1985. The blend also incorporates whiskies from the closed Cambus and Pittyvaich distilleries, alongside ‘rare” malts from Glen Elgin, Inchgower, Glenlossie, Cameronbridge, and Glenkinchie. It is bottled at 43.8% ABV. As with most Johnnie Walker Blue Label expressions at this proof, there is no official statement regarding chill filtration or natural colour, so it is probably chill-filtered and including E150a colouring. This Glenury Royal edition was globally released in October 2019, at an initial recommended retail price of £275 for a 70cl bottle (or roughly $300–$400 in the US for a 750ml). Currently, it remains somewhat available at retail and on the secondary market; prices start from around £225 to £280 in the UK, average about €320 in Europe, and typically range from $281 up to $856 in the US.
Colour:
Burnished.
Nose:
Neat: The nose is warm, inviting, and wonderfully mellow, leading with a distinct core of fresh orchard fruits like pear, peach, and sharp green apple. There are rich, decadent aromas of honeycomb, warm vanilla, and roasted almonds, alongside an earthier, savoury undertone reminiscent of olive oil. A very gentle, dry wisp of cinder toffee and subtle smoke sits pleasantly in the background.
Palate:
Neat: The texture is satisfyingly thick and oily, arriving with a powerful burst of creamy dark chocolate, butterscotch, and crunchy toffee. As it develops on the palate, heavily sherried notes emerge, revealing a zesty orange marmalade, dried fruits, and warming spices like cinnamon and clove. There is an underlying nuttiness and a very delicate thread of citrusy smoke that ties the flavours together.
Finish:
The finish is long, leaving a lingering sweetness of baked apples, pastry, and chocolate, counterbalanced by a gentle pinch of black pepper and a soft wisp of dry smoke.
Comments:
Once again, this special edition is a clear step up from the standard Blue Label. The Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost & Rare Glenury Royal Edition is good, but it comes across as simpler and less deep and rich than the Port Ellen edition.
Rating: 6.5/10
Johnnie Walker Blue Label King George V (2010) Review
Johnnie Walker Blue Label King George V is a prestige, no-age-statement (NAS) blended Scotch whisky created to commemorate the first Royal Warrant granted to John Walker & Sons in 1934. To honour this era, the blend is constructed using only whiskies from distilleries that were operational during King George V’s reign (1910–1936), including extremely rare malts from closed distilleries like Port Ellen and Cambus. It is bottled at 43% ABV. While the packaging does not explicitly state its chill filtration or colouring status, standard Diageo practice for blends at 43% ABV dictates that it is chill-filtered to prevent cloudiness and artificially coloured with E150a for batch consistency. Originally introduced into travel retail around 2007 (with its first wider release generally selling around the £330–£350 mark), it has since become a staple of the ultra-premium Johnnie Walker lineup. Today, the current lowest prices typically sit around £411 to £470 in the UK, approximately €450 to €538 in Europe, and range from $600 to $657 in the US.
Colour:
Burnished.
Nose:
Neat: The nose is rich, decadent, and incredibly complex, leading with dense aromas of Christmas pudding, dried dark fruits, and sultanas. There is a pronounced sweetness of warm vanilla, rich caramel, and chocolate, all wrapped in a soft veil of maritime peat smoke and worn leather.
Palate:
Neat: The texture is velvety and mouth-coating despite the low ABV. It delivers a wave of dark chocolate, raisins, and ripe plums, quickly followed by a warming wave of oak spice, ginger, and nutmeg. A classic Islay peat smoke is present throughout, mingling with a touch of roasted nuts and sweet toffee.
Finish:
The finish is long, warming, and mildly drying. It leaves a lingering impression of dark chocolate bitterness, toasted oak, and a gentle woodsmoke that fades into a memory of winter spices and nuts.
Comments:
Johnnie Walker Blue Label King George V is presented in beautifully designed packaging, but that remains the expression’s chief point of distinction. The whisky itself is pleasant enough, and it likely includes some relatively old malts — Glen Albyn, for example, closed in 1983, which means some components are probably in their 30s — yet the grain whisky still plays a substantial role. For my part, I find the two Ghost & Rare bottlings reviewed above to be both more complex and more flavourful.
Rating: 6/10
Johnnie Walker The John Walker (2010) Review
Johnnie Walker “The John Walker” (sometimes referred to as the Founder’s Blend) is an ultra-premium, no-age-statement (NAS) blended Scotch whisky created as a tribute to the brand’s founder. Released in late 2010, the blend is constructed using some of the very oldest and rarest whiskies from Diageo’s vast reserves. It specifically features single malts and grain whiskies from just nine distilleries that were operational during John Walker’s lifetime in the 1800s, including highly prized stocks from closed “ghost” distilleries like Cambus and Glen Albyn, alongside classic cornerstones such as Cardhu and Talisker. The whisky is presented in a bespoke, individually numbered Baccarat crystal decanter. Bottled at a standard 40% ABV, there is no official declaration regarding its colour or filtration; however, consistent with Diageo’s practices for 40% premium blends like Blue Label, it is safely assumed to be chill-filtered and artificially coloured for batch consistency. Initially released at a retail price of around £2,000 (roughly $3,000), it has appreciated significantly on the ultra-premium market. Today, the current lowest prices typically sit around £2,200 to £3,000 in the UK, roughly €3,000 in European travel retail and speciality shops, and from $3,000 in the US. Auction prices could go down to half those prices; however, should bottles reappear.
Colour:
Burnished. (Again)
Nose:
Neat: The nose is elegant, opening with a delicate, complex bouquet of rich honey, warm caramel, and polished oak. Beneath the initial sweetness, there are pronounced notes of dried dark fruits—specifically figs, raisins, and dried apricots—accented by hints of dark chocolate, winter spices like nutmeg, and a very soft, lingering whisper of coastal peat smoke in the background.
Palate:
Neat: The palate delivers a velvety texture. It leads with layers of creamy vanilla, sweet toffee, and honeyed malt, quickly followed by the richness of ripe orchard fruits and raisins. As it evolves, sophisticated flavours of spiced oak, roasted almonds, and a touch of orange zest emerge, all perfectly balanced by a gentle, highly refined peat smoke that never overpowers the blend.
Finish:
The finish is remarkably long, sophisticated, and rich. It leaves a lasting, elegant impression of sweet honey, lingering dried fruits, and warming oak spice, concluding with a final, delicate trace of complex, dry smoke that begs another sip.
Comments:
This one is in a different league altogether. Johnnie Walker’s The John Walker Blend delivers a level of complexity, depth of flavour, balance, and mouthfeel that sits a clear step or two above even the Ghost & Rare Port Ellen release. The finish is remarkably long for such a low ABV, and the nose and palate reveal a depth I have not found in other Johnnie Walker expressions I’ve tried; it is, quite simply, a stunning whisky. That said, would I spend £2,200 on a bottle? Absolutely not. At that price, you can buy whiskies that are far better, or just as good for a fraction of the cost.