Johnnie Walker Blue Label Xordinaire is a new travel retail release that sees the popular premium blended Scotch whisky further finished in former French XO Cognac casks.
Looking for a unique bottle to pick up from Lotte Duty Free while duty free shopping at Changi Airport? Consider the Johnnie Walker Blue Label Xordinaire. A newly-launched travel retail exclusive from the world’s best-selling blended Scotch whisky brand, this release sees Johnnie Walker’s iconic Blue Label further cask finished in XO casks, offering Blue Label enthusiasts a different way to enjoy their favourite whisky.
It is also one of the very rare expressions from Johnnie Walker that employs cask finishing, a technique it more commonly employs for its more experimental Blended Batch limited edition releases. So rare, in fact, we can’t remember the last time we saw a cask-finished Blue Label.
The iconic Blue Label, of course, forms the pinnacle of Diageo-owned Johnnie Walker’s offerings, carefully selected and blended as it is from only one of every 10,000 reserve casks from Diageo’s expansive ageing warehouses across Scotland. For the Johnnie Walker Blue Label Xordinaire the same process applies, but it’s then transferred into former XO French Cognac casks to age for an unspecified time.
Fittingly too, this Scotch-French connection. After all, plenty of Scotch whisky see the insides of French oak. Blue is also the heraldic colour of French monarchy and nobility, giving this special Blue Label an even more regal touch.
As for the whisky itself? The additional maturation in the French oak casks that formerly aged XO – which Diageo, one of the world’s leading alcoholic beverage companies, ironically has to source from outside since it doesn’t own a Cognac brand in its impressive portfolio – offers the Blue Label a mellowed fruitiness and smoothed roundness but taking off some of its vaunted (and, for some, prized) smoky and oily notes.
“This is a luxurious and vibrant Scotch bursting with notes of dried fruit, toasted toffee and sun-ripened black cherry. Bright orchard fruits shine through velvety smoothness, with flashes of peach and soft spice surging upward. A sumptuously smooth Scotch with a soft spice after-taste, Johnnie Walker Blue Label Xordinaire truly is an exuberance to be shared,” declared Emma Walker, Johnnie Walker Master Blender.
“Johnnie Walker Blue Label Xordinaire represents a new variant for the Johnnie Walker Blue Label house, it is our biggest global launch in travel retail ever. By introducing this exciting new expression of Blue Label, we have created a global travel exclusive that caters to aficionados seeking exclusivity as well as for those searching for something with a sweeter and smoother flavour profile,” Andrew Cowan, Managing Director of Diageo Global Travel, said.
The Johnnie Walker Blue Label Xordinaire is available from Lotte Duty Free in Changi Airport at a recommended retail price of S$535 (1-litre). Those interested to find out more can check out the airside limited-time travel retail pop-up in Terminal 1 of Singapore Changi Airport. The Parisian hotel-inspired pop-up, the first in APAC, features fun activations such as a whisky and chocolate pairing, an immersive elevator experience, as well as a gifting and personalisation station.
Official Whisky Maker’s Notes: Johnnie Walker Blue Label XOrdinaire
nose Luxurious bursting notes of dried fruit, toasted toffee and sun ripened black cherry.
palate A symphony of bright orchard fruits, gracefully intermingling with velvety smoothness.
finish The delicate whispers of peach and gentle spice surge forth, adding layers of complexity to the after taste.
abv 40%
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