John Walker, Last Cask whisky is final in series
Only 330 bottles of the final instalment in The John Walker series will be released globally, aptly called The John Walker, Last Cask.
For more than 10 years, The John Walker whiskies have been selected from nine distilleries that operated while Johnnie Walker founder John Walker was alive (1805-1857). The whiskies were then aged using a triple maturation technique, which culminated in marrying the liquid in a cask made from 10-year-old oak staves. However, Dr Jim Beveridge OBE, Johnnie Walker master blender, decided to make this the final The John Walker bottling as he believes the cask will soon no longer be able to “bring the balance and depth of character” to the whisky as it once did. For The John Walker, Last Cask, six single malt whiskies and three grain whiskies were first individually matured, before the grains and malts were brought together in two separate vattings, and then finally married together in the bespoke cask. Beveridge said: “We combine extremely rare grain expressions from Cambus, Port Dundas and Cameronbridge, which creates delicate flavours including notes of honey sweetness, subtle spice and soft fruit character. “A vatting of exceptional single malt whiskies offers deeper, more robust aromas of dried fruits, with waves of citrus fruits unfolding from the distilleries of Glen Albyn, Cardhu, Mortlach, Clynelish and Dailuaine before culminating in the unmistakably warm and peppery smokiness of Talisker.” Bottled at 40% abv, The John Walker, Last Cask, will be available to purchase in China from August, priced at CNY21,835. It will launch in travel retail and other select markets, including the UK, from October onwards, priced at RRP £2,995 (US$3,635).
