Head to head · unusually close flavour match
Bowmore 12 Year Old vs Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 Year Old
No flavour axis separates them. Bowmore 12 Year Old publishes its cask types, Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 Year Old publishes none.
Compiled by WhiskeyCask Editorial · Last verified 2026-07-30
Specifications side by side
| Bowmore 12 Year Old | Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 Year Old | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Single malt | Blended scotch |
| Origin | Islay, Scotland | Scotland |
| Age | 12 years | 12 years |
| Strength | 40% ABV | 40% ABV |
| Cask | American oak ex-bourbon cask, European oak Oloroso sherry cask | Not disclosed |
| Bottle | 700 ml | 700 ml |
| RRP observed | £38 | £30 |
| Per 10cl | £5.43 | £4.29 |
| Per litre of alcohol | £136 | £107 |
| Chill-filtered | Not stated | Not stated |
What separates them
Both from Scotland.
Bowmore 12 Year Old is a single malt, Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 Year Old a blended scotch.
Both state 12 years.
Bowmore 12 Year Old lists american oak ex-bourbon cask and european oak oloroso sherry cask. Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 Year Old publishes no cask detail at all.
Neither states chill filtration.
Bowmore 12 Year Old: specifications not yet producer-confirmed.
What the price buys
Bowmore 12 Year Old is £8.00 dearer a bottle than Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 Year Old.
Strength keeps that ordering: £107 a litre of pure alcohol for Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 Year Old against £136.
Across the 32 bottles we can cost this way, Bowmore 12 Year Old is 16th cheapest and Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 Year Old 6th cheapest.
Flavour, compared
View as table
| Axis | Bowmore 12 Year Old | Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 Year Old |
|---|---|---|
| Peaty | 6 | 4 |
| Sweet | 6 | 6 |
| Fruity | 5 | 5 |
| Spicy | 4 | 5 |
| Woody | 5 | 5 |
| Sherried | 5 | 4 |
| Cereal | 5 | 5 |
| Oily | 6 | 6 |
No axis reaches the 3-point gap we call meaningful. Widest is peaty, 6 against 4.
Identical on sweet, fruity, woody, cereal and oily.
Each bottle in its own right
Bowmore 12 Year Old
Sea salt, lemon and gentle smoke over sherried fruit. The most balanced entry-level Islay.
Bowmore is precise about wood and silent on strength — its page specifies hand-selected ex-bourbon and Oloroso casks while stating no ABV anywhere. Not to be confused with the separate Bowmore 12 Sherry Oak Cask SKU.
Full record →Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 Year Old
Light smoke, dried fruit and vanilla over a soft, easy body. The most reliable blend on any shelf anywhere.
Diageo states the blend uses over 29 whiskies, every one matured a minimum of 12 years — the age statement is a floor across all components, not an average.
Full record →No overlap in what we list them for: Bowmore 12 Year Old for peat curious and all-rounder, Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 Year Old for highball, first blended scotch and value.
Where these specifications come from
Producer and retailer pages for Bowmore 12 Year Old and Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 Year Old: bowmore.com, thebar.com. Figures are what those pages published when we last checked them, on 2026-07-30.