When it comes to whisky, be it scotch, bourbon, rye or moonshine, color is important. Like a red flag to a bull, the color blue to a whisky drinker can only mean one thing. 

There is something truly primal about man’s connection to the deep amber hue of a well-aged 30 year old scotch, the glistening nectar that has captured the attention of countless connoisseurs and collectors, captivating every generation before the last. 

This connection to color is the most important and integral facet of whisky drinking aside from the actual ritual of experiencing, tasting and drinking a glass of scotch or bourbon. 

However, there is another unspoken connection to color that many have an almost otherworldly affinity for in the world of whisky; the allure of the magnetic blue label.

There are many reasons why we’re drawn to blue label scotch, not only is the exceptional quality and high caliber profile of these whiskies common knowledge but they are also shrouded in an unexplainable mystique that makes them more interesting and exciting than the ordinary bottling. They don’t have to be limited or explicitly rare, the blue label has an untapped power over whiskyphiles that places these whiskies in the upper echelons of the spectrum.

The psychology behind the blue label is well documented, with blue and navy bringing to mind a conservative calmness, stout reliability and consistent quality, important facets of a good whisky. There is a sense of power and trust in the blue label, arousing strong feelings of loyalty - once you’ve tried and enjoyed a good blue label whisky, it’s hard for you to go back… 

Johnnie Walker Blue Label

One of the best-known examples of this phenomenon is the iconic Blue Label Scotch from Johnnie Walker, the most celebrated blended scotch whisky in the world, synonymous with both excellence and elegance in equal measure. 

Introduced in 1992 to shock and adoration, particularly the former given its $150 price tag in the early 90’s, Johnnie Walker’s Blue Label predates the single malt renaissance and is largely regarded as the whisky that reinvented ‘top-shelf’ spirits. 

There is no doubt that the Blue Label is the most prestigious blended whisky in history (and continues to be the most refined blended whisky available on the market), but such is its reputation that it somehow manages to rub shoulders with the finest single malt scotch whiskies in its price range today.

A sublimely complex and altogether enveloping whisky, the Blue Label has always been defined by its sweeping vanilla and citrus forefront, with complex herbal notes and subtle smoke at the rear. An elongated finish concludes a truly robust tasting experience, with the Blue Label well established as a dynamic and distinguished piece of whisky craftsmanship.

There have been countless limited-edition Johnnie Walker’s released since its inception, but one thing has remained the same throughout 3 decades of peerless quality, a blue label. The affinity for blue label whisky could be attributed to the stature and aura that the Johnnie Walker Blue Label has cultivated, but there are other bottles that suggest this has been a trend for much longer…

Macallan Sherry Oak Blue Label

There is something rather different about a vintage Macallan, an energy that vibrates through your body when in possession of such a bottle, an overwhelming sense that this particular single malt whisky is special, unusual, unique. 

This feeling is amplified ten fold when presented with a blue label, an out of body experience ensues. Enter the Macallan 30 Year Old Sherry Oak Single Malt Scotch Whisky Blue Label, perhaps the most eye-catching, regal bottle of Macallan outside of the Fine and Rare or Exceptional Cask Collections.

A Prussian blue, deeply royal verging on navy, iconically designed in a conventional, traditional sense, this bottle of Macallan is a bonafide collector’s item, stunningly appointed in the Sherry Oak style. The most important facet of this bottle is undeniably the dashing blue color that centres the gaze and captures the viewer immediately. This is what I mean when I speak of quantifying the unquantifiable enigma that is the blue label.

Swimming in sherry and stunning the palate into submission with an array of flavors, ranging from citrus, stone fruits and oak at the forefront, to tannins, pepper and nutmeg throughout, all tied together with a silky smooth mouthfeel and the crashing waves of the iconic sherry oak finish, there is a reason why this Blue label 30 year old whisky is so sought-after - it is the perfect storm between exceptional quality whisky and that unspoken brilliance of the ‘blue label’. 

Though all of the Sherry Oak 30’s are good, this one is the best, and while it’s hard to say that the blue label is the reason why this particular bottle sits atop the pile, it cannot be coincidence.

Blanton’s Poland Blue Label 2019

The blue label is not just a powerful entity in scotch whisky, it has pervaded the realm of bourbon too. Blanton’s Poland Collection is an annual release designed each year for the M&P festival, with around 1000 bottles available each year. The 2019 iteration of this silo is one of the rarest and most sought-after bourbon whiskeys ever produced by Buffalo Trace, with the iconic blue label cementing the status of the 2019 Poland Edition as one of Blanton’s most visually appealing labels.

There is no doubt that some of the interest surrounding this bottle pertains to the scarcity of the bottle, as well as the bold higher proof and exceptionally refined tasting experience that this offers, but for fans of Blanton’s and indeed of the Poland Editions, the blue label stands out as an essential centerpiece in any collection. Why? Because of the unique label that this flagship bourbon whiskey is adorned with.

The fanfare to which this bottle was received is justification for the allure of the blue label, particularly given it is not too dissimilar to the standard Original single barrel or Gold Edition. The core differences being the slight changes to the palate and proof, and of course a distinctly different blue label that makes this limited edition whiskey a magnetically attractive release.

There are many other whiskies with iconic blue labels that share similar tropes, bottles that are a different shade to the run-of-the-mill offerings you pass by every day. Of course, there are many unbelievable bottles with regular labels that rival the above mentioned whiskies, but the blue label reigns supreme as a vessel for undefinable excellence.