If you're curious about or like a brand of whiskey (or anything else really), the best way to test the numerous options is something we'll call a 'vertical.' This means trying several, or everything, from a label in one sitting, going up through the iterations vertically in cost. Higher cost theoretically should mean higher quality, though that's certainly not always the case in practice. Of course you can't know without trying and your comparisons will be more accurate if done in a short timeframe. But if done once you'll always know your preference(s) and be able to make a better value judgement on those options in the future.
Then again, these are challenging to do in reality for other reasons. Nobody wants to commit, up front, the resources to purchase three, four, five increasingly expensive bottles. It's even spendy to do something like this at a bar, if you can find a single place with everything you want to sample, though it's still likely cheaper and easier than finding and buying the bottles yourself. One solution is to gather with several like minds, only requiring each person to bring one thing. I did this recently with a group of guys and several types of Maker's Mark. Wheated Bourbons, where wheat replaces malted barley in the mashbill, aren't usually my thing but the activity was certainly instructive (for me: skip '46' and the gimmicky 'Private Selects' with various staves, instead go for amped up versions, '101' or 'Cask Strength,' of the original recipe). Another solution is finding a gift set with smaller sized bottles. My wife not too long ago brought home a box with four Glenmorangie single malts and we decided to do another. Then she found one with six different Johnnie Walkers, including the famed Blue Label.
One of the biggest names in Scotch whisky, if not the biggest overall, is Johnnie Walker. John Walker was a real man who started blending whisky in the early 19th century. His business was later built into an empire by his sons and grandsons, one that owned multiple distilleries outright. Part of the brand's genius was the instantly recognizable square shaped bottle and distinctive slanted label, both created all the way back in 1860. Now owned and made by beverage conglomerate Diageo, which also owns (deep breath) Guinness, Smirnoff, Captain Morgan, Don Julio, Gordon's, Crown Royal, Bulleit, a host of single malt distilleries and much more, Johnnie Walker is one of many hugely popular brands for the company. Currently with the widest distribution of any blended Scotch whisky, it sells over 150 million liters annually (stat from 2016, it's probably even more). It continues to accomplish this by being a massively marketed brand that's available literally everywhere, as well as having a variety of expressions from very cheap to very premium denoted by different colors. In short it's remarkably accessible to anyone interested. To make sure it's clear, Johnnie Walker is all blended Scotch whisky. This means it's a mix of whiskies from different distilleries instead of coming from a singular location like single malts do.
I hadn't experienced most of the higher end versions before, like Blue, so I was admittedly pretty excited to do this. Green was also a curiosity due to its good reputation with whiskey fans and a general inability to locate it in stores, something that doesn't happen very often with Scotch. Plus it was an obviously fun chance to compare six similar whiskies that vary rather significantly in cost. I should note we didn't do all these at once, instead opting for three whiskies at a time on two separate nights, but I don't think it impacted our ability to compare. The box skipped the ultra cheap Red Label but had all the other primary whiskies presently offered under the Johnnie Walker label. Here's a breakdown of the six (descriptions developed before the tastings):
1. 'Black Label'
Expected Price - <$30
Age - 12 years
ABV - 40% (80 proof)
Description - Long marketed as a premium blend, it's just a more aged step up from Red
2. 'Double Black'
Expected Price - ~$35
Age - NAS (no age statement)
ABV - 40% (80 proof)
Description - Based on Black, with more peaty whisky and from more heavily charred casks
3. 'Green Label'
Expected Price - ~$60, maybe less
Age - 15 years
ABV - 43% (86 proof)
Description - Blended malt (only one here), mix from across Scotch regions
4. 'Gold Label Reserve'
Expected Price - $65-75
Age - NAS
ABV - 40% (80 proof)
Description - Based on old Walker blending recipe, previously held 18 year age statement
5. 'Aged 18 years' (previously Platinum Label)
Expected Price - $85-100
Age - 18 years
ABV - 40% (80 proof)
Description - Actually premium, light and very well aged
6. 'Blue Label'
Expected Price - ~$200 (much more for limited editions)
Age - NAS
ABV - 40% (80 proof)
Description - Famous ultra-premium whisky, bottles come with certificate of authenticity
My thoughts on a few are maybe not what you'd expect. Unsurprisingly Black Label is thoroughly unremarkable. I wouldn't turn it down but also won't seek it out, even for <$30. Double Black we knew already. Its added smokiness, which isn't overwhelming by any measure, adds much for little additional cost, making it a great value since there are few (if any other) quality smoky blends at this price point. Green Label is a tremendous whisky that's easy to drink and well-balanced considering the spectrum of flavors. It's also the only 'malt whisky' here, meaning it forsakes the use of more industrially produced 'grain whisky' often used as filler and is 100% a mix of single malts. Gold Label was more refined than Black Label but we found it to be just as boring, and yet for more than double the price. Yuck. Aged 18 Years (not sure why they stopped calling it Platinum) is ridiculously smooth and, while I had no complaints about the flavor, wasn't compelling to me at all. However, if you just want to buy a Scotch that's super easy and in no way objectionable, this one fits the bill.
On to the Blue Label, the supposed crème de la crème, which deserves its own paragraph. Is it clearly high end? Yes. Is it worth $200 and up? Absolutely not. The whisky was very easy to drink, though it did have slightly more burn than the Aged 18 Years. The flavor was fine, if again a bit uninteresting, but it was easily bested by the Green Label in a direct comparison. If I had to briefly describe this whisky (and it somewhat fits Aged 18 Years as well), its something for people who want to drink Scotch without really tasting Scotch. Combined with the fact this thing comes with a laughably pretentious seal of authenticity and what you've got is more status symbol and less something for someone who actually enjoys whiskey. Leave it for the Taters. There's a reason I hadn't tried Blue Label before now and it was a worry that this would be the result, so I guess it's at least a little fun to have my preconceived notions confirmed. I'm also glad we didn't go full size.
In the end, my advice is this for someone looking at Johnnie Walker: buy Green if you see it. It was my favorite even ignoring prices. Double Black is also a great option and continues to be my wife's favorite of these here. Leave the rest unless you have $200 to burn and only care to look fancy.
Loved learning about this brand. I feel so much more educated.