1/Ballantine's is back on its number, anchoring the cheap end of the blend shelf. Sixty-two bottles priced live at Dan Murphy's this Thursday — the whole aisle, not a slice. Since last look, 31 of 62 have shifted price or zone. The far end? Two Hibikis and a Chivas 25.
2/How I read it: each price against the fair value its own ten-seat jury sets for that bottle, as a percent. Not one blend on this shelf dips under its own mean. So the near end is "least over", the closest to fair, never a discount.
3/The least-over end, all live. Ballantine's Finest 1L at $73 sits dead on its jury, +0.0%. Johnnie Walker Red 1.125L at $79, +0.22%. Red Label 1L at $65, +0.23%. Cutty Sark at $59 and Dimple 12 at $58 round it out, both under half a percent. Value blends, priced like it.
4/The shelf's character, pooled off its own reviews across the category: vanilla, toffee, honey, soft grain, a wisp of smoke, a bite of apple. That is the blend-aisle signature, the scotch-and-soda end of the whisky world. It describes the shelf, not any one bottle in it.
5/The dear end, and it is a different animal. McConnell's Belfast Irish at $83 carries the widest gap, +45.32% over its own mean, a real live price. Then the premium Japanese and Scotch names: Chivas Regal 25 at $646 (+22.14%) and Midleton Very Rare at $434 (+22.06%).
6/So the tidy read: one shelf, two halves. The value floor priced at fair, the premium ceiling asking a fifth to a half more than its jury. For an honest everyday pour, the $73 Ballantine's or the $65 Johnnie Walker Red? What does your local charge?
| End | Item | Price | Gap % | Priced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot 1 | Ballantine's Finest Blended Scotch Whisky 1L | $73 | +0.0% | observed 2026-10-01 |
| Hot 2 | Johnnie Walker Red Label Blended Scotch Whisky 1.125L | $79 | +0.22% | observed 2026-10-01 |
| Hot 3 | Johnnie Walker Red Label Blended Scotch Whisky 1L | $65 | +0.23% | observed 2026-10-01 |
| (hot) | Cutty Sark Original Blended Scotch Whisky 700mL | $59 | +0.32% | observed 2026-10-01 |
| (hot) | Dimple 12 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky 700mL | $58 | +0.36% | observed 2026-10-01 |
| Cold 1 | McConnell's Belfast Blended Irish Whisky 700mL | $83 | +45.32% | observed 2026-10-01 |
| Cold 2 | Chivas Regal 25 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky 700mL | $646 | +22.14% | observed 2026-10-01 |
| Cold 3 | Midleton Very Rare Irish Whiskey 700mL | $434 | +22.06% | observed 2026-10-01 |
| (cold) | Hibiki Blossom Harmony 700mL | $691 | +19.35% | observed 2026-10-01 |
| (cold) | Hibiki Japanese Harmony 2021 Limited Edition Blended Whisky 700mL | $730 | +18.78% | observed 2026-10-01 |
None recorded.
Whole Shelf, scope Blended (whisky_style), vintage 2026-10-01.1, pack whisky_style-blended-aggregate.json. Gap basis PERCENTAGE; ce_gap_pct=(price−CE 360° mean)/price×100, each bottle's premium over its own CE 360° consensus; 'hot'=smallest premium (least over fair value), 'cold'=largest. No bottle sits below its own mean, so 'hot' is not a bargain. 'Hot'/'cold' are value labels only, never velocity or trend. Coverage 62 of 62 priced live in the 2026-10-01 harvest (100%). Sources holds the stored top/bottom notable-mover cut, not the full ranked shelf.
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