The world's best whisky keeps getting better

Red Stripe has added two new products to its wide portfolio of beer and spirits with the addition of the Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve and Platinum Label.

The newest addition to the Johnnie Walker family, and for the innumerable fans, is to replace the outgoing Green Label and Gold Label 18 years old, respectively. This change follows research into consumer buying trends that are seeing more people trade up to premium blended whiskies than ever before.

The Johnnie Walker line has long been about the archetypal blended Scotch whisky, meaning a wide range of malt and grain whiskies from different distilleries across Scotland, blended to produce a smooth, rich combination.

The change has been overseen by Jim Beveridge, the Johnnie Walker master blender, who has created the two new whiskies so that there is now more natural progression through the range.

According to Arturo Savage, Reserve brand ambassador for Diageo, the two new products are superb.

"The Johnnie Walker Platinum and Gold Labels are superior products. The taste, body and aroma are amazing and will, no doubt, do very well here," Savage said.

Gold Label Reserve

This new version of Gold Label pays homage to the old version by maintaining many of the same whiskies within the blend, including the 'signature malt' of Clynelish. The main difference is the range of ages within the whisky, which previously had a minimum of 18 years. Now there are younger whiskies present.

The colour is golden yellow with a hint of amber, and the nose is instantly captivating. There are plenty of sweet aromas - toffee, butterscotch, peach, vanilla and honey especially - and these are tempered by some bittersweet cereals and a healthy whiff of earthy peat smoke. Some background earthy smoke and wood spice (think of cinnamon and nutmeg) finish things off. The finish is delicious and laden with honey, before turning a little drier and spicier towards the end.

Platinum label

This whisky represents the first truly new 'colour' in the Johnnie Walker range for years. It is designed to better bridge the big gaps, in terms of age, taste and price, between the new Gold Label Reserve and the iconic Blue Label. It contains whiskies of 18 years and older, including some of Diageo's hidden single malt gems.

The colour is a vibrant golden yellow and the nose has a lovely freshness to it. It is characterised by a sweet yet elegant Speyside style and subtle Islay smokiness.

The rich aromas of vanilla, honey, lemon zest, orange oil, malty cereals and a hint of tropical fruit leap from the glass. These are backed up by some rich wood spices (imagine cinnamon, nutmeg and freshly sawn oak) this is accentuated by some lovely soft smokiness, further dried fruits (think of cherry, raisins and pear). The finish is long and drier than expected. It begins with plenty of the tangy bitter orange notes, before fading slowly to reveal the honey and fruit. The lasting impression is of the smoke. The new Platinum Label is a step up from the iconic 12-year-old Black.

In many ways, it drinks more like a light single malt than a blend, except smoother. The Platinum label was rolled out to store shelves in August and is now available in Jamaica.