White Walker by Johnnie Walker

Well, Game of Thrones final season is upon us. Diageo has released a bunch of whisky themed around the houses of Westeros and Johnnie Walker created a blend suitable for the dead to drink (whoa, that’s a spoiler for this review). This is that blend: Johnnie Walker White Walker. It’s bottled in a freezer-ready package that reveals a special message when it gets cold enough and they want you to drink it straight from the freezer- tell me that doesn’t speak volumes... Anyway, I had started to jot a bunch of jokes down and I fully intended to write a humorous review for this whisky, but I ran out of enough ideas and laughs to make myself happy, so I ditched that idea and decided to just write a typical review. Here goes... White Walker is blended and bottled at 41.7% ABV and it’s straw yellow in the plastic cup I figured was worthy enough to drink this stuff out of. There was big, watery drops and legs and a nice oil slick around the cup, too. All of my review is from a sample from my buddy Paul, and it was only done at room temp- I don’t want to drink it from the freezer. The nose struck me quickly with a spearmint gum note with a little floral, barnyard note (like wet hay). There was no barrel presence and no hint of ABV. I didn’t feel the need to let it rest- I just went for it. The palate was waxy as hell, like Clynelish, with some light apples and pears. Faint citrus arrived mid sip and ushered in the minty chill they were obviously going for. It’s refreshing, albeit lacking in any kind of depth. It would probably add some dimension to a citrus or mint based cocktail, for sure. The mouth coat was oily and a little thick. The finish was grainy, but relatively smooth. There is zero complexity, but then again that could be said for almost every Johnnie Walker (at least the low range stuff). The finish was short, but refreshing, I guess. It’s not nearly as bad as I was lead to believe. I have 2 bottles of this stuff to complete 2 full Diageo Game of Thrones sets so there’s no need to open them now. Thanks for that, Paul. But, I wouldn’t want to drink much more of this anyway to be honest. Use it at GoT parties for a mixer or, hell, freeze the bottle and turn it into a drinking game during the final season. Every time Bran stares blankly into the camera someone has to chug until the scene changes- wow, that’ll get ya ripped haha. I can muster 2 stars for this with hopes the bottle helps inflate the value of the GoT whisky set long after the series is over. Fingers frozen and crossed. Winter is here! Cheers.

Smooth, sweet, hints of fruitiness and vanilla