A DRAM OF UMAMI

Johnnie Walker Blue Label Elusive Umami breaks the mould of traditional whiskies, capturing the essence of umami in a bottle.

-  JOSEPH LOW

Celebrated Scottish distillers Johnnie Walker have just released a limited-edition blend centred on the elusive fifth basic flavour of umami. 

It's an incredibly exciting release, not just for its mission - identifying and capturing the complex, meaty savouriness that is characteristic of umami and expressing in time-honoured whisky - but also for its designation under the brand's feted Blue Label, reserved for only the rarest and most exceptional of casks.

The designation's history stretches back to 1867, pre-dating the discovery and documentation of umami by a Japanese chemist in 1908, making the pairing in a rare whisky release a fitting collaboration with an equally apt name: the Johnnie Walker Blue Label Elusive Umami.