Game of Thrones Whisky Series

This is a sad time for single malt scotch lovers in the Firewater Lounge. President Trump has decided to slap a 25% tariff on single malts for no apparent reason. So the bottom line is, you have until Friday, October 18th to buy your single malts before they rocket up in price. We did our shopping the last couple of weeks, securing our scotch stock for this years’ cold months and Winterfest 27.

We added four whiskies to the Lounge: a bottle of Glenmorangie Lasanta, a bottle of Glengoyne 12 year, and two expressions from the Game of Thrones Whisky Series. Of the latter, we selected the House Stark Dalwhinnie and the House Targaryen Cardhu, mostly because the late stage movie-promotional overstock provided for a great value on a couple of middle-of-the-road scotches.

The House Targaryen whisky is standard Cardhu Gold Reserve, easy to get in Europe, not as much in the States. A classic Speyside whisky, the Cardhu’s nose is light, sweet and full of red apple skin, like my mom’s marshmallow apple salad. On the palate, Cardhu is as light but not as sweet as the aroma, a gentle and easy-drinking whisky. It tastes like apples again upfront with a bit of orange and toffee, then ends in a black pepper finish. It’s not going to be a whisky that wows you, but it’s definitely drinkable at its overstock price point (which was $4 less in the same store).

The House Stark whisky is an expression of Dalwhinnie called Winter’s Frost. Another Speyside whisky, the Dalwhinnie has it traditional honey and floral nose common to Dalwhinnie 15 year (Winter’s Frost has no age statement). This whisky tastes of malt, honeycrisp apples, lemoned clover and sweet citrus; it’s a friendly draught for newbie single malt drinkers- not spicy or smoky, and, given the region, no peat. I prefer Dalwhinnie 15, but for the money Winter’s Frost will do.