Whisky Focus - John Walker Private Collection 2017 Mastery of Oak

John Walker Private Collection 2017 focuses on the wood and combinations of casking which influences whisky.

Diageo has unveiled the 4th edition of its super premium John Walker & Sons Private Collection blend, the John Walker Private Collection 2017 Mastery of Oak.

The John Walker Private Collection was created by Johnnie Walker Master Blender Jim Beveridge and his blending team to showcase the Johnnie Walker house style and the 2017 edition focuses on the wood and combinations of casking which influences whisky.

On this occasion Master blender Beveridge, working with fellow blender Aimée Gibson, handpicked casks of malt and grain whiskies to create three vattings from which to make the final blend. Each one was designed to contribute certain flavours from a different aspect of oak management.

 and one that was taken from a selection of American oak and European oak casks that came from within Diageo's experimental maturation programme. These were then blended together in differing percentages to produce the final whisky.

The first vatting in the Mastery of Oak was created with mostly single grain with a small percentage of single malt that was matured in active American ex-Bourbon oak casks.

The second vatting was mostly well aged Highland and Speyside single malts from less lively refill mostly American oak and some European casks, the less active oak gives the whisky a more gentle maturation that lets distillery character to shine through.

The third vatting came from special casks from Diageo's experimental maturation programme. They chose only American oak combinations from these experimental casks, mainly new oak that had been toasted to varying degrees, these casks had also been filled with spirit of different alcoholic strengths.

The three vattings were brought together blending puncheons before bottling.

John Walker Private Collection 2017 Mastery of Oak is a limited release of 5,588 bottles, bottled at 46.8% ABV, it has a RRP of £550 and will be available from specialist online whisky shops such as Master of Malt
 

• UK Shops
   
• USA Shops
   
• European Shops
  

Whisky Focus