Cardhu Gold Reserve (Game of Thrones-House Targaryen)

Duh duh da-da-duh duh. Ah, Game of Thrones. Television that captured the attention of the world for 7.5 seasons, then it became a show that infuriated most fans in its final 3+ hours. Well, whisky conglomerate Diageo had to get their hands in on some of the piles of money this show has raked from every corner of the globe. But how? Whisky releases that are themed to each House/Major Family on the show, and Castle Black/The Wall. That should fetch a hefty haul, shouldn’t it? The good news is that they used 8 solid, scotch distilleries to supply thirsty fans, some of which supplied a new, special whisky just for the Game of Thrones line. The bad news- some of the bottles contained the exact same whisky already released by said distillery- as is the case with this Cardhu. Gold Reserve is already a U.K. market release. They just slapped a Targaryen-themed label on it and re-issued it, although this time it went worldwide. It’s still 40% ABV, chill filtered and has so much added color it looks just like every other Game of Thrones bottle. It’s a crystal bronze in color and appears very watery in the Glencairn. Lots of watery, runny drops form and race back down the ring after a healthy spin. The nose started out heavily on the apples and pears, an artificial fruity note that I found similar to freshly unwrapped, salt water taffy wafted up for the first few minutes, then mysteriously disappeared and left behind standard vanilla and lightly toasted oak and candied malt. Some tropical notes emerged as I went in for the first sip and it reminded me of the song “Rastafarian Targaryen”. (If you haven’t heard this please go to YouTube and watch the Game of Thrones Red Nose Day special from the band Coldplay. It’s quite entertaining and amusing and takes you back to a time before the botched show’s ending). The palate was ushered in by the aforementioned tropical flavors and they are quite enjoyable. More orchard fruits splash across the tongue, typical Speyside sherry cask notes arrive at mid sip, and despite the rather thin mouth coat- this is an enjoyable dram. There’s absolutely no heat involved with this whisky- it’s almost like you’re drinking fruit juice. The finish is short and borderline overly sweet, but as you’ve already come this far, you knew how it was probably going to finish. It’s not bad, mind you- just sweet. As I pondered the whisky for a few moments after finishing the pour, I immediately thought of a great way to describe this whisky: it’s the leftover syrup from a Dole Fruit Cup...with alcohol in it. That stuff is a waxy and thin, fruity and sweet, and quite delicious! I have a couple bottles of this- as I built a few complete sets in case the collectibility went through the roof. (It did initially, but Diageo got wise and flooded the market with more, and drove the demand back down). Thanks to a sample pour from my buddy, @Generously_Paul from Michigan, I’m able to keep my sets intact. Thanks again, bro. I actually picked my bottles up for $32 each and after a quick search I found that the regular Gold Reserve runs about $42-45 online. So, I got a great deal. It gets 3-3.25 stars for flavor and I’ll bump it a bit for the $10 discount I got from Virginia ABC. Cheers, my friends. Now, Cue the music: Game of what now? I'm a rastafarian, Targaryen I got some dragons and they're Very scary and Been here and there and then I've Been everywhere again Rastafarian, Targa... Call me Daenerys Targaryen When you wanna reach me And if you feel the love Then you can call me Khaleesi Got so many names I'm Queen of the Andals Queen of the Meereen Yeah ! You can kiss m' sandals

N: Super fruity first hit with juicy fresh orchard fruit, tinged with tropical notes (mango, kiwi) and some ripe strawberry, which then quickly shifts to overripe sour fruit - could be stone or orchard by now. Honey, white tea, hint of cracked rainbow pepper. Kind of just dies off after that - leaves you with a feeling that there should be a little more here. P: Biscuit, peach, honey, something floral. Bit of red fruit on the sides of the tongue. Dash of dark chocolate mid-palate. Finish starts by reminding me of one of Shiner's holiday beers - peach and roasted pecan. That's short lived though. Bulk of the finish is wood: hot and bitter. But also not quite enough of either to stand out. And neither lasts terribly long either. Final note is a lingering white tea that sticks out just a bit past the heat and the tannins. Nose is a bit thin and too delicate, but otherwise really nice. Palate is about the same - has its moments, but never really gets flying. On the whole, it drinks young. Quality seems to be there, so maybe stepping up to an age statement Cardhu could be interesting. This is generally forgettable/passable though. Edit: After finishing the review, I see there's much Cardhu in Johnnie Walker. Now that I know that, I can't really un-taste it. There is something decidedly Johnnie Walker about this. Or, really, there is something decidedly Cardhu about JW. There's an underlying malt sweet with a tiny bite of minerality that's very familiar. Makes the bottle a tad more interesting, but really just makes the age statement Cardhus something I may look for, out of curiosity, and because it satisfies that part of my brain that likes to break things to component parts, that needs to taste every ingredient in a recipe alone before tasting the recipe as a whole. Can't wait.

This special Game of Thrones edition is.... THE SAME EXACT NORMAL CARDHU GOLD RESERVE WHISKY. Having said that, did we just paid a little more just for a label with game of thrones drawings on it? (which is not even beautiful) Bottled at 40%abv, this is your typical Cardhu, as a matter of fact it resembles a lot of the Gold Reserve... wait. On the nose: dim aroma of Tobacco, Lemon, grapefruit, Caramel and Vanilla. Not that great. On the palate it is very enjoyable. Coffee beans, Toffee, Tobacco, Pepper and Oak spice. Aftertaste is also nice with a mild smoky note with hints of oak and sawdust. Overall this is not a bad whisky at all. Maybe the nose is not powerful enough, shame on me on not even noticing it was the same cardhu gold reserve with a GOT label; 84 over 100.

Nose: Very subtle all together. Caramel. Spiced fruit. Honey. Oak. Buttered biscuit. Palate: Oak coming on stronger. Slight alcohol burn giving a little kick but it’s quickly diminished with a lovely honey flavor. Some chocolate notes peeking through. Faint taste of brownie batter. Finish: Brief. Some heat. Smooth. Overall Thoughts: Not a mind blower but a good dram to be sure. What it lacks in excitement it makes up for in drinkability. I certainly wouldn’t turn it down but it’s certainly the one I’ve enjoyed the least out of the GoT collection.

Definitely a honey note on the nose (neat), right off the bat. Along with... maybe spices? Possibly caramel apples. First taste (neat): VERY light, reminds me of a red wine, except for the light oak (nice spice taste though). Adding a drop of water: immediate apple smell. Love it! Now the taste... very smooth and a slight sweetness. I feel like it's a good beginner Scotch to break someone in. Definitely going in the Guest Cabinet, but for high-end Guests. Haha. Pinkies up! I may finish this bottle by myself though, so no promises.

To me, honey is the most dense note on this palate. Its a saturated sweetness up front on the nose that persists all the way through the finish. Along the way, other notes show up in smaller waves. Some crisp fruits appear on the palate but not so much on the nose. Theres a mild spice on the finish as well. Its not the most interesting of the GoT series, nor the most interesting Cardhu. But its very drinkable, especially if you have a bit of a sweet tooth (I do not.)