Dalwhinnie Winter's Frost (Game of Thrones-House Stark)

N: Generally fruity with white grape, peach (and other stone fruit), pear, and a little bit of apple - both red and green. Vanilla and bread pudding. Nice little kick of spice. Something tangy lingers at the edges - more of a sensation than a specific flavor. Decent swirl kicks up some red wine and makes this reminiscent of a good Irish single pot still (like a Spot line kind of smell). That's a fleeting profile (unlike the Spot drams), but it punches well above its class while it lasts. Finishes with a pleasant mineral water, a sort of dry calcium earthy/metallic note. P: Sweet and ripe red fruit, peaches, slightly bitter (maybe underripe) pears. Vanilla and bread notes follow, like the nose, but a mild tannic bitterness and a good hit of fairly hot baking spices joins. Spices linger into the finish, but fade fairly quick. After the spice fades, finish is earthy, metallic, and bitter. Final note is just a hint of alcohol burn. Pretty good for a $30 dram that's cross-branded with a TV show. It's a Highland profile, no doubt, but the minerality of it is interesting - perhaps a reference to the Starks being more of a "salt-of-the-earth" sort of family? IDK. Maybe that's just a normal Dalwhinnie trait - I also don't know, but I'll be more likely to grab the next Dalwhinnie I see because of this bottle (cross-branding win!). Regardless, a decent and tasty dram for the price.

It’s been at least 5, maybe even 6 years since I reviewed the Lagavulin 9, which I believe was the Lannister bottle. That was solid, but I had a fair comparison with the mainstay Lagavulin 8. I hadn’t seen the show then, but I watched the whole thing a year ago. This is just an NAS Dalwhinnie, so I’m not expecting much here. Choosing a Highland malt is a fair choice to represent the Starks, though. Nose: Floral notes, with some orchard fruit. Granny Smith apple, pear, and apricot. Toffee, vanilla, malt. Caramel. Unripe banana. Graham cracker. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Palate: Vanilla, honey, caramel, and toffee. Milk chocolate. Sugar cookie. Apple, pear, apricot, and golden raisin. Plum. Custard. Clove, numteg, cinnamon, and oak. Finish:Vanilla, honey, caramel, and toffee. Apple, pear, apricot, and golden raisin. Clove, nutmeg, white pepper, and oak. Moderate length. Pleasant enough whisky. Definitely could’ve used more time in the barrel, but it’s fine for what it is. $60 is too much even considering the gimmick, so I docked a quarter star for VFM. 3/5 even. This may not have done the Starks justice, but drinking it was certainly a better experience than watching the show beyond the at which the writer’s ran out of George’s source material.

Picked this up for a steal from a closing store and I’ve been savoring every last drop. This is Dalwhinnie through and through — a winter warmer — and yet its character is tannic, tart, and tropical. I get the anticipated notes on the nose: dried heather, lemon peel, and a beeswax candle that’s just been snuffed out. But I also smell dried mango and big notes of tamarind, which is so unexpected and special. On the palate, the body is carried by notes of black tea and summer harvest honey. The top notes add more tropical flavors, like banana tarte tatin and dried coconut. I also get a medicinal tulsi note, which bespeaks the bourbon influence. The mouthfeel is tannic, expansive, and somewhat bitter, tinged with the brightness of the fruity notes. The finish is a flare of salted mango and dark honey, with a deep and sweet barley note. It’s warming, mouthwatering, and piquant all at once. This single malt manages to be in two places at once, one foot in a daring dream and one foot in the waking world, and it manages it so well I can’t be sure which is which.

Here i start my reviews on some of the Game of Thrones Whiskies that recently appeared on the market. House Stark, from Dalwhinnie (actually called "Dalwhinnie Winter's Frost"), is a NAS whisky that tells the story of the Starks, one of the most important families on Hbo's tv series "GOT". Actually, the whisky is pretty nice, nothing to die for, the box where the bottle comes is a lot more beautiful than the actual bottle. On the nose, super fruity. Red Apples, Gerber Porridge, prunes and apricots. On the palate it is a little straightforward, but easy drinkable. A little watery, tastes like sider and hints of ginger. Aftertaste is a little smoky and some toasted oak notes appear. Overall this is the most average whisky ever. It tastes good and works well. Not expensive and collectable. 82 over 100 seems fit for it.

Nose: Sweetness of honey and fruit, slightly smoky, and a little malt. Palate: Honey comes through followed by a little smoke and spice. Smooth and fruity as well. Hint of vanilla/maple syrup. Finish: Very smooth. Vanilla stronger on the finish. Malty as well. Did not expect this much sweetness but I am very happy about it! Overall Thoughts: This is my second Game Of Thrones bottle I’ve tasted and so far they’re 2 for 2. Very enjoyable and mellow. The smokiness and the malt is excellent. I’m very pleased that my allegiance to The North has proven to be the right decision.

A gift from my best friend for the birth of my second son. The nose is sweet butterscotch and dried fruit with a smokey overtone. I get the malt cereal smell at the end of the nose and leading into the palate. The rest of the palate is a dry and peppery peat that I happen to enjoy! It's not for everyone though. The finish is short and peppered peat but pleasant. My first Dalwhinnie but I will be trying more. Second visit gives me the smell of s'mores around the fire, with the roasted marshmallow and warmed graham cracker lasting into the palate.