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Author Topic: Whisky is Coming - GoT Collection  (Read 1280 times)

Offline tumarkin

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Whisky is Coming - GoT Collection
« on: February 07, 2019, 06:15:11 am »
A couple of months ago, Diageo released a Game of Thrones whisky collection with eight single malts, each representing one of the great houses. I think they did a great job with the label art, using line drawings that are very clean and simple. There actually are 9 whiskies in the series - if you include White Walker which is just a renaming of JW Black, with a plastic wrap label. They recommend putting White Walker in the freezer... no comment, the less said the better imho.

I was able to purchase the entire set from one of the local bottle shops. I paid around $450, including tax. Looking online this morning, I see offerings of the entire set ranging from $1900 to $2400 (this one stated this is their last set). Once the last season is released, the price is likely to skyrocket - and as time goes by, the price on the whisky auction sites will be astronomical. I suspected this would be the case when I bought mine, but I buy whisky to drink, not to collect or as an investment.

The Cardhu, Dalwhinnie, and Royal Lochnagar releases are existing whiskies with GoT packing while the others are new releases made specifically for the GoT series release.   

I bought my set for a whisky tasting I'm planning for April, when the last season is released. I've already started tasting my way through the set and thought I'd share my tasting notes with you here. Slainte.....


HOUSE STARK: DALWHINNIE WINTER’S FROST (SRP $40, 43% ABV)
   
Appearance: light gold
Nose:  floral, light fruit (apples, pears) and touch of lemon, honey, bright, light caramel/toffee malt, spicy alcohol nose
Palate:  soft, warming. echoes nose with flowers, fruit apple/pear, honey and added spice – peppery/cinnamon, subtle orange notes as it warms
Finish:  moderate length, soft, cinnamon spicy, honey
Overall: medium body, assertive spice and honey, spicy/peppery alcohol. easy drinking but with enough character to be interesting.
With Water: opens up, more floral, softens the spice and alcohol, easily drowned
 

HOUSE BARATHEON: ROYAL LOCHNAGAR 12 YEAR OLD (SRP $65, 45% ABV)

Appearance: medium gold, legs are moderate but distinct, with quick moving tears
Nose: apples out front, hint of pear, low woody note of fresh sawdust, light malt, fresh pastry, some floral perfume notes
Palate: light fruit – apples and pears, restrained honey notes, moderate alcohol in middle, peppery then recedes, some lemon acidity, slight bitterness
Finish: moderate finish, spicy and malty, somewhat dry, nutty, subtle oak
Overall: medium-light body, low level of complexity, had to hunt for some of the flavors, 12yr old (one of only two with age statement in the series)
With Water: adding water washed out many of the flavors, the only new one that came out was vanilla. Don’t add water!


HOUSE TARGARYEN: CARDHU GOLD RESERVE (SRP $40, 40% ABV)

Appearance: dark gold to light amber, thick fast-moving legs
Nose:  fresh cut wood, honey sweet, fruity – pears or apples, oranges & apricots, toffee malt with hints of toast, touch of vanillan & some cinnamon, chocolate as it opens
Palate:   more dry and woody than expected from nose, lots of alcohol, chocolate, honey, maple notes, creamy,
Finish: medium long, alcohol hot, spicy & peppery with just a little dry maltiness
Overall: easy to drink, but simple, not very complex or particularly interesting
With Water: opens a bit, more cinnamon & chocolate


HOUSE TYRELL: CLYNELISH RESERVE (SRP $60, 51.2% ABV)
   
Appearance: bright, dark gold color, distinct sheeting breaks into individual  thick slow moving legs
Nose:   big nose, subdued sherry note. very fruity - citrus, orange peel, hints of grapefruit, but also pear and tropical fruit, mango? candle wax. not as much alcohol nose as expected – spicy, peppery, ginger. Light malt – pastry notes
Palate:  hot (but not overly for 51%), oily, thick mouthfeel, malty – toffee & biscuits, some salty brine, maybe even a little seaweed and a touch of smoke (though not to Isla levels, restrained), subdued mineral character. Alcohol spicy, peppery, light tropical fruit notes, mango
Finish: long finish, very fruity, sweet foral notes, but finishes slightly dry. alcohol lingers to the end but some toffee malt, touch of chocolate adds complexity
Overall: love this whisky, so much going on from the nose to the finish. complex well balanced among varying elements.
With Water: stood up to water very well. opened up nicely with just a touch of water. took the hot edge off the alcohol, and allowed all the sweet fruit to pop. more mineral & salt in the finish. as it warms (and after water edition) it gets even more complex, especially in the fruit notes. softens up with light grain and honey. Add water sparingly and this whisky will offer rewards. Don’t drown it!!


HOUSE TULLY: THE SINGLETON GLENDULLAN SELECT (SRP $30, 40% ABV)

Appearance: inviting, medium amber, not a lot of legs – small tears, slow moving
Nose:  low aroma, takes some tweaking out. Leads with soft, biscuity malt, fresh grass, slight floral perfume. As it warms, I get oak, light fruits, sherry, hints of orange and vanilla
Palate: moderate body. Starts with sherry and sweet malt, spicy alcohol, moderate oak, then fruits – pear, apple, hints of coconut. Malt is subdued and more caramel/toffee than in nose.
Finish: medium finish, but surprisingly long for such a light whisky. Also unexpectedly dry for one that starts so sweet. Most of the finish is oak tannins and alcohol spice. There is a bitter note in the finish, maybe from oak? Orange zest pops up at the end.
Overall: moderate sherry character, good balance of wood, fruit, and malt. surprising depth and complexity for such a soft whisky. A light highland whisky, with typical sherry character.
With Water: a small splash of water changed this whisky. Not really for the better. It softened the alcohol heat and spice, and more pear and apple notes come out. Body seemed more creamy, though still full. The malt also softens and has a more nutty character. Best to stay away from water, at 40% abv, it doesn’t need it, though does bring out some interesting new flavors.


THE NIGHT’S WATCH: OBAN LITTLE BAY RESERVE (SRP $60, 43% ABV)
   
Appearance: dark gold with orange highlights
Nose:   leads with soft caramel malt, light peat, briney minerality, fruity citrus lemon & orange, spicy notes of ginger, pepper & alcohol, moderate wood, some sweet honey & floral notes with hints of strawberry cream,  rich, round, complex. chocolate comes out as it warms
Palate:   peat & brine comes through in the front, as does the sweet honey & floral character, salty caramel malt, some fruit (citrus & apple) but less than in aroma, light chocolate, gingerbread, vanilla, tobacco, subtle woody barrel expression
Finish: long & lovely finish, dry, light oak, very appealing, vanilla is more expressive in finish, apple/pear sweet fruit that wasn’t there earlier, smooth alcohol warmth (but well integrated, not overly hot) especially at the end, salt and very subdued smokey notes, cinnamon at the end 
Overall:  very complex, full bodied, oily & viscous, big legs
With Water:  opens the nose amazingly, but overall more muted & less complex, honey sweetness intensifies
 

HOUSE GREYJOY: TALISKER SELECT RESERVE (SRP $45, 45.8% ABV)
   
Appearance: medium amber, almost copper orange.  thick, short, slow moving legs
Nose:  sweet fruity notes, briney seaside minerality, restrained smoke – campfire and touch of barbeque, peppery, some chocolate & toffee
Palate:   young & bright, fruity notes of orange, peach & hints of citrus, very maritime with moderate smoke, chili pepper
Finish: very long lasting, complex, candy notes of caramel & chocolate, sea salt & pepper, moderate smoke, spice & pepper lasts forever
Overall: full bodied, warm and spicy from alcohol and phenols, easy drinking but complex enough to keep me interested & coming back for more
With Water: softens the alcohol and pepper, lessens complex, not needed & not recommended
 

HOUSE LANNISTER: LAGAVULIN 9 YEAR OLD (SRP $65, 46% ABV)
    
Appearance: dark gold, thick oily tears
Nose: sweet, malty smoke out front, very peat forward, strong briney & maritime presence, some fruity esters hidden in the smoke, big alcohol presence
Palate:   huge sweet peaty smoke, malty caramel/toffee notes, dried fruit, hints of tropical fruit, lots of spicy phenolics, seaweed & salt, alcohol more integrated than expected from the nose
Finish: very long finish (the road goes on forever & the party never ends), smoke, hints of chocolate, malt sweetness
Overall: everything you love about Isla, a great balance of malt, smoke, and sea
With Water: a few drops of water opens it up with explosion of cogeners & flavors


Mark Tumarkin
Hogtown Brewers
Gainesville, FL

Offline MDixon

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Re: Whisky is Coming - GoT Collection
« Reply #1 on: February 07, 2019, 07:41:00 am »
Awesome. I have not yet opened any of mine. Still looking for second bottles of Greyjoy (Talisker), Tyrell (Clynelish), and Baratheon (Lochnager).

I have White Walker in the freezer. Figured I would try it ice cold and then allow the bottle to come to room temp and try it again. I suspect ice cold will not be a favorite way to consume. Typically I don't add water so that should be interesting as well.
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Offline tumarkin

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Re: Whisky is Coming - GoT Collection
« Reply #2 on: February 07, 2019, 09:19:42 am »
yeah, I don't typically add water either when I'm drinking for enjoyment. when tasting critically, a few drops can open a whisky up, especially on the nose. sometimes you'll get things that weren't apparent earlier, but it can also make things disappear. and certainly, even a bit too much can drown a beautiful dram. I find it's a useful tool when really trying to dig into a whisky to find all the nuances. and it's sometimes a help with some of the really big cask strength whiskies. just be restrained, usually just a few drops is enough.
Mark Tumarkin
Hogtown Brewers
Gainesville, FL

Offline ethinson

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Re: Whisky is Coming - GoT Collection
« Reply #3 on: February 07, 2019, 02:24:48 pm »
If I'm drinking whiskey neat at a bar I'll usually also have an ice water.  If I feel like things seem muted (or even if I'm just curious/halfway through etc) I'll dip my fingers in the ice water and then shake off a drop or two into the whiskey.  Give it a swirl and sometimes it's like it's a different drink. It can be remarkable what a difference it can make.  I'll always take at least one sip neat before I decide to add a drop of water (or small ice chip) so I can see what effect it has.  Always interesting. 
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Offline MDixon

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Re: Whisky is Coming - GoT Collection
« Reply #4 on: May 06, 2019, 07:52:32 am »
I've opened 5 of the 9.

White Walker is rubbish. A waste of money and the person who came up with the blend should not be in charge of blending. I tried it every which way but loose and the best thing about it is the temperature sensitive label.

Greyjoy - Talisker - I think this is my favorite thus far. The smoke adds complexity and is quite nice.

Nights Watch - Oban - second place currently, it grows on you.

The last two I have opened are more or less neck and neck at this point. Both are tasty, but not as complex as the ones leading the pack. They are Tully (Singleton) and Tyrell (Clynelish).

Planning to open two more next week and the final two the week after that. Not sure what I am going to do with the unopened bottle of White Walker. I may just keep it unopened, or I could use it as drain cleaner.
It's not a popularity contest, it's beer!

Offline 69franx

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Re: Whisky is Coming - GoT Collection
« Reply #5 on: May 09, 2019, 10:25:36 pm »
I have all but the Obama Bay, was never able to find any in stock locally. Not sure where the online whiskey secondary market is. Should I just Google whiskey for sale? Or is there a specific site. We drank our way through the first White Walker after having bought a second. Don't really feel a need to open the second. Really enjoying the final season this far as well

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Frank L.
Fermenting: Nothing (ugh!)
Conditioning: Nothing (UGH!)
In keg: Nothing (Double UGH!)
In the works:  House IPA, Dark Mild, Ballantine Ale clone(still trying to work this one into the schedule)

Offline MDixon

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Re: Whisky is Coming - GoT Collection
« Reply #6 on: May 10, 2019, 06:04:37 am »
It's running $120-150 on the secondary market. I paid over retail for mine to be sure I got it.
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Offline MDixon

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Re: Whisky is Coming - GoT Collection
« Reply #7 on: August 30, 2019, 03:27:36 pm »
So the GoT series was released this week in NC. My thinking is they had it in the warehouse and were waiting for some unknown reason to release. I overpaid on several bottles of Oban and won't be purchasing more even though it is quite tasty. I was able to pick up additional bottles of Clynelish and Talisker I needed to complete a second unopened set. I think I have some thirds and potentially fourths of some bottles.
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Offline 69franx

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Re: Whisky is Coming - GoT Collection
« Reply #8 on: August 30, 2019, 04:53:09 pm »
I still never did get a hold of the Oban

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Frank L.
Fermenting: Nothing (ugh!)
Conditioning: Nothing (UGH!)
In keg: Nothing (Double UGH!)
In the works:  House IPA, Dark Mild, Ballantine Ale clone(still trying to work this one into the schedule)

Offline MDixon

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Re: Whisky is Coming - GoT Collection
« Reply #9 on: September 05, 2019, 09:09:35 am »
Two more Johnnie Walker GoT editions are coming out. Hopefully both are better than White Walker.
https://thewhiskeywash.com/whiskey-styles/scotch-whiskey/two-new-johnnie-walker-game-of-thrones-whiskies-emerge/

It's not a popularity contest, it's beer!

Offline 69franx

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Re: Whisky is Coming - GoT Collection
« Reply #10 on: September 05, 2019, 10:17:45 am »
I saw that yesterday as well. Should be interesting, and I agree, hope they are better than White Walker
Frank L.
Fermenting: Nothing (ugh!)
Conditioning: Nothing (UGH!)
In keg: Nothing (Double UGH!)
In the works:  House IPA, Dark Mild, Ballantine Ale clone(still trying to work this one into the schedule)