Kicking off my week of whiskey, I decided to gently ease myself into the shallow end of the pool rather than swan-dive into the deep, alluring golden waters all at once. Yes, not a very whiskey thing to do at all, but hey, it’s the start of the week and I have some meager responsibilities these days.

Johnnie Walker Red Label is their “bargain” brand (but don’t let them hear you say that) that is available on the cheap, around $15 a fifth. It’s a blended Scotch whisky composed of a ton of different malts, and the marketing pitching claims that it is made to be mixed and will still retain its character. This is usually marketing speak for “drown this rank gasoline in cola, you poor, unfortunate bastard; bet you’re going to wish you sprung for the Black Label now” so I wasn’t initially enthused.

A – I really like the color of Red Label. It’s a lighter colored Scotch, but not super pale; I would define it as a nice glowing amber. It tumbled into my rocks glass nicely. I feel like I should be drinking this while gazing out over a city skyline from my office.

S – Much easier on the nose than other bargain brand Scotch. I detected an intense smokiness, with a bit of vanilla and fruit in there. Unfortunately, has a bit of that “cheap whisky burn” smell I get from bottom shelf brands that indicates it’s going to be slightly harsh.

T – I felt like I was being almost unfair drinking this straight since it’s allegedly “made for mixing,” but I’ll be damned if Red Label didn’t hold its own straight up. It’s no Maker’s Mark, but it’s not bad at all. Very very smoky, with a barely perceptible hint of vanilla way there in the back. It finished pretty harshly, warming me nicely as it went down. I suppose this is a negative, but I find it hard to fault Scotch for finishing harshly; that’s what makes it a drink for the down and out, tough as nails imbibers like myself. I like it way better than Jack Daniels or Jim Beam straight up, no doubt. Mixed with coke I’ll be damned, it did retain its character remarkably well. Far better in coke, it tasted nearly exactly the same as straight up, without the burn. The whiskey sour I made with it was even better. Made for mixing indeed, Johnnie Walker.

Overall: ***

Johnnie Walker Red Label didn’t blow me away, but it wasn’t trying to. A great whisky to bring to a party or to pick up on the cheap when you’re in a mood for mixing. I feel like I’m committing a sin when I throw Black Label into a whiskey sour or into coke; let Red Label assuage your mixologist’s guilt.