Johnnie Gold in SoHo
The drink: Johnnie Walker Gold
The place: Grand Bar & Lounge in New York
Space/time: Hard to Tell
Like pairing wine with food, whiskey is best when paired with “place.” And I’d challenge anyone sampling Johnny Walker’s Gold Label to find much finer digs than the Grand Bar & Lounge in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood – a smallish hotel bar with an impressive whiskey offering.
During a recent visit, Justin was behind the bar fielding questions ranging from “what’s a single malt” to “what’s in a Manhattan?” Himself a bourbon man (Knob Creek), Justin nonetheless recommended the Johnny Walker brands highly – noting that the Gold Label was “just under the Blue” in the brand pecking order.
Fair enough, especially if you think in terms of price and age and probably status. But there’s an argument that the Gold Label transcends marketing categories. It’s really an all-star team of single malts – more than a dozen of them, all at least 18 years old and some thought to be much older – that combine for something that becomes more than the sum of its parts. It has a strong aroma, more peat than you might expect, and more tastes than a TV makeover show. Gold’s biggest fans revel in its lingering finish, but they apparently have enough control not to hit another sip right away. They also say you should freeze it 24 hours before trying to release certain flavors – somebody tell us what that’s like, because I couldn’t bring myself to freeze good whiskey if it would release Jimmy Hoffa.
Even for the die-hard single malters, this is a must-visit Scotch. It’s indulgent, intense, refined and really tastes like somebody put intense thought into the experience. And, oh yes, if you really want to pair it with food we had a great match with Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate, try the Dark 70 percent. Together they are really justification for Western Civilization as we know it – a good thing, given how much we need justification these days.
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