Whisky Review: Johnnie Blonde Blended Scotch Whisky

It seems the blondes of this world get a well-drink caliber namesake from Johnnie Walker. Yes, I know “blonde” is also a color without any connection to hair. This said, Johnnie Blonde is colored artificially, as are quite a few other Walker blends, which, in turn, are nearly the same color as this one (darker than blonde on the color wheel).rnrnConsidering how many blondes live in Scotland, one might have thought a whisky named “Blonde” would be of higher quality. Despite this fact, the blend is very competitively priced and fun to mix in cocktails. Something about this whisky tends to “cloak” it (in a good way) around stronger tasting ingredients, such as fruit juices and/or rum.rnrnMy wife and I had a great time experimenting with the Johnnie Blonde gift set in our kitchen. In closing, I’ve shared our favorite spontaneous recipe. My wife named it a “Blue Lulu.” The name is an inside joke, so unfortunately I can’t tell you its meaning.rnrnOur recipe includes the following ingredients: Two parts Blonde; one part J. Wray Silver rum; enough Blue Curacao to change the color; pineapple juice (to taste); coconut water (to taste); Sparkling Lime & Yuzu (from Blonde’s gift pack), a wedge of lime to garnish and rub along the rim of the glass, along with crushed ice. Shake the mixture like a Polaroid picture, and then serve.rnrnFrankly, I like to use Clairin Sajous rum instead of J. Wray Silver, but the Clairin is harder to find and over double the price in my town.rnrnMy wife also likes to use the Wray & Nephew Overproof White Rum. It adds an interesting complexity that takes the cocktail in a slightly different direction from the J. Wray Silver, which is more straight forward with a vanilla finish. The overproof rum goes better with Johnnie Blonde, in my opinion. It has a very unique flavor that enables Blue Lulu to “take a walk on the wild side.”