Bought: Amazon, 15th December 2014
Ratings:
88/100 – Whisky Bible 2015
82.91/100 – Whiskybase (average from 25 member votes)
I find Whiskybase a useful website for ratings but, if you live in the UK like I do, avoid looking at how much whiskies cost in Europe (unless you intend to order from there, or like to weep uncontrollably). As I write this, the cheapest place in Europe (listed on Whiskybase) for a 70cl bottle of the Platinum Label is €47.50, which equates to £35.62. The cheapest UK online price I can find is £65.02, nearly £30 more expensive than its European equivalent! It reminds me why we used to do booze-cruises to France 10+ years ago. If you travel to and from Holland or Germany on a regular basis, you’re quids in for whisky purchases, quite literally! More quids remain in your pocket.
88/100 in the Whisky Bible rates this JW blend as “very good to excellent whisky definitely worth buying”. Reading the review by the author, Jim Murray, you realise the Platinum shares a common trait with several other versions of JW, which is a lackluster finish. This can also be seen in the Blue Label and Spice Road (Travel Retail release). But it’s only a minor criticism, which I’ve seen mentioned elsewhere in other Internet reviews.
I bought a 20cl bottle to tick this blend off my JW colour collection. Would I buy a 70cl bottle at £65? No. Here are examples of cheaper, 18yo single malts, and their Whisky Bible 2015 ratings:
- £40.99 – Stronachie 18yo – 88.5/100
- £53.99 – Inchmurrin 18yo – 92.5/100
- £54.99 – Glenlivet 18yo – 91/100
- £56.51 – Tomatin 18yo – 92.5/100
As I’m more of a single malt man (at this stage of my experience) I’d buy a bottle of one or all of the above long before I got a full 70cl of JW Platinum. But it’s still a reasonable blend nonetheless.
Whisky Den 