Update (8/15/2001): After enjoying Highland Park for about a year (introduced by my brother), I found a new favorite: Irish Bushmills Whiskey. Huge fan.
I’ve been drinking Black and Blue Label for a long time and the real reason was that somebody introduced me to Black Label originally and not because I prefer the taste. Actually I was not a big fan of it, but it is a “manly drink” to order in a bar so I kept at it. My brother and others have been suggesting trying a single malt and last time in the liquor store I decided to do a “taste test” trying to find a replacement for Johnnie.
A picture above is how my brother and I spent an afternoon — definitely recommend it 
I decided to purchased single malts that are in the same price range as Black Label. Here is what I got (not to worry — i am not an alcoholic; one of the bottles was for my brother )
- Glenfiddich 12
- Glenlivet 15
- Glenlivet Nadurra 16 — I wasn’t paying attention, but it turns out to be “bottled at natural cask strength” which means it is 59% alc/vol.
My brother came over one of the Saturday afternoons and we did our taste test
- Glenfiddich 12 was the easiest/smoothest and we both preferred it over all others
- Glenlivet 15 was also good, but not as smooth as Glenfiddich
- Nadurra had just too much alcohol, but we still preferred it over Blue Label
- Compared to others, Blue Label was just too harsh in both taste and smell
While I am switching to single malts for those times when I would like a drink on the rocks, I think Johnnie and I will continue our relationship in the form of Black Label and Coke
There are a number of other single malts that I look forward to trying: http://www.whiskymag.com/whisky/award/gold.html
