Not long ago, Diageo put out an extremely successful line of Game of Thrones whiskeys and scotches — eight based on the Great Houses of Westeros and one themed after the White Walkers. We have taste-tested several of them for you, in the name of science.
We couldn’t quite “make the eight,” as old Bobby B might say, but there’s still a lot here to enjoy. I won’t claim to be a whisky or scotch master distiller, but myself and the other members of our testing panel were certainly up to the task and drinking alcohol and telling you about it. Let’s get started!
First up is the Johnnie Walker White Walker. I’ll be honest: I did not have high hopes for this one. not being a blended scotch man, but I was pleasantly surprised. The White Walker was not the best whisky I’ve ever had, but it was far from the worst. I did not serve it below freezing temps as suggested by Diageo (a process that turns the bottle blue), but over ice this had a spicy sweetness to it that we all enjoyed. When it was served neat, it was even sweeter, with strong caramel notes.
Other than the House Tully Glendullan single malt, this was the cheapest of the bunch, and well worth the price point of $40.
Grade: B+
Next up, we have the House Stark “Winter’s Frost” from Dalwhinnie. For those who don’t know, Dalwhinnie’s distillery is located in one of the coldest and most remote distilleries in Scotland. How appropriate.
As for the whisky itself, this was easily the best of the bunch for us. Honey and fruit dominate both the nose and the tasting notes, so this was the smoothest selection of the lot. Not sure how well that represents the tough conditions of the North, but we’ll let it slide. At around $40, it’s in the middle of the pack-price wise, but worth the extra gold dragons in my opinion. If you’re into something with a little more fire, this isn’t for you, but the honey smoothness stood out for me.
Grade: A
Stark allies the Tullys also have a pretty good whiskey, although this one got a little lost in the shuffle. This scotch is made Glendullan; their distillery sits on a river and is entirely powered by a water wheel, so it’s the appropriate choice.
At 40% ABV, this is the lightest whisky of the group. It has strong fruit notes to it, but not the sweetness. Think of a banana that’s sat on the counter a couple days too long. But at $25, there’s not a lot to complain about. It’s not the best, it’s not the worst, it’s just kind of there, much like House Tully.
Grade: B
At $40, you might expect the Targaryen Cardhu Gold Reserve to compete with the House Stark whiskey for quality, but you’d be wrong. This was more akin to the House Tully drink, except it was almost double the price. It does share some of the Winter’s Frost tasting notes — honey and fruit — although there’s more vanilla in this one, and dare I say, bubblegum? But overall it was sort of bland. It drinks thin, clocking in at 40% ABV. If this whiskey is supposed to represent the fiery nature of the Seven Kingdoms’ most fierce house, it fails miserably.
Grade: C
Given that tComing in at roughly the combined price of the House Stark and Targaryen whiskeys ($80), and as a big fan of Lagavulin in general, we had high hopes for the House Lannister Lagavulin Islay Single Malt. Sadly, those hopes were dashed like poor Oberyn Martell’s head. From the moment we opened this, it was like opening a barrel of wildfire. Nine years might sound like a long time to age a scotch, but the better Lagavulins go up to 16 years, so this is actually a young drink. Smoke, oil and perhaps a hint or two of fruit burn your nose and throat, and about the only good thing I can say is that it woke us up. Cersei might approve, but we did not. It certainly represents Cersei’s nature, and at 46% ABV would probably be something she’d drink, but I’m good skipping this one the next time it’s served.
Grade: C-
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Overall, this lineup was decent enough, and even with the other non-Game of Thrones whiskeys we tasted that night, the House Stark scotch was still our favorite. If you’re interested in tasting them yourselves, while most of the stores have sold out, some are still available online at various outlets (with markups). Now if they could just release a Game of Thrones Gatorade for the hangover.
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