Formerly known as Johnnie Blonde from Johnnie Walker, this is a whisky that the company promotes as a mixer, calling it “one of the most flexible whiskies the team at Johnnie Walker has ever developed” and “a brighter, sweeter whisky suitable for the fun-loving and the curious.”
The summertime blended whisky, which is solely available in Houston, Texas, is certainly light as a feather throughout.

Fresh and lightly gritty, the nose is more reminiscent of breakfast cereal than freshly milled barley. The whisky smells perfectly safe, with a faint, ethanol-driven hop bitterness giving the nose a hint of heat. It is mildly nutty with a sesame cookie note.

Although the palate is undoubtedly on the sweet side, a straightforward whisky like this benefits from it. Despite being pretty blunt in this instance, the sugar has a white sugar or simple syrup character that lifts the cereal notes but doesn’t really provide much in the way of depth. Pepper notes and a little nutmeg help to liven up a butterscotch-heavy body. Really, it works just fine as a mixernothing extraordinary.

Although Johnnie Blonde with Fever-Tree Lime & Yuzu Soda is only two ingredients in this limited edition cocktail kit from Sourced Cocktails (seen above), you may easily prepare it on your own. Despite this, it makes for a great summer aperitif because citrus and whisky go together so nicely.