Oban Bay Reserve (Game of Thrones-The Night's Watch)

There are notes of seaweed, brine, and dried fruits. This dram starts sweet and ends woody on the tongue with notes of raisins, oak, and lavender.

Nose: Cherry with a little spice. Some sweetness. Slightly smoky as well. It smells vaguely like a sea breeze to me, I’m fond of the salty aroma. Palate: Salty in the best way. Malty and smoky but pretty subtle. Hint of caramel. Finish: Smokier on the finish than on the palate. Sweetness and fruitiness. And the smoke is a nice touch and keeps it smooth. Overall Thoughts: The nose does happen to be the most intricate part. It’s a fine dram and I’m happy to savor the bottle for the novelty as well as the quality. I very much enjoyed this and will continue to do so.

Courtesy Kastle de la Kitchen

Based on some reviews here and elsewhere I poured this took a quick sip and then let it sit for 30 minutes. It smelled and tasted completely different (all in a good way) after the time in the glass so I’m reviewing it based on that and you should consider drinking it that way if you ask me. At least the neck pour 🤷‍♂️. This is in a rocks glass. I’ll be pouring into a glencairn as soon as I can and will update if necessary. That long winded nonsense being said, my review will be pretty short. The nose is all citrus. It’s quite wonderful actually. Just based on that I’d probably be closer to a 4.5. The palate has an enormous salt note. I did my research and was prepared for it but it’s still a bit shocking. I’m told that’s normal for Oban but I have more experience with Lagavulin and Talisker from Diageo than I do with Oban. The citrus is still there too. I wish it was more prominent than the salt but it’s not. There’s also some sherry instilled berry notes but, again, more background to the saltiness. The finish is surprisingly long and I appreciate that. For an NAS with a ridiculous focus on packaging (black bottle, black tube, GoT Night’s Watch mantra on the front of the label etc.) I was worried this was going to be trash. It’s not. It’s not awesome but I like it. I’d definitely go with the Talisker or Lagavulin GOT bottle if you only want one. I bet with a sweet dessert the salty aspect would feel savory (like bacon on a donut). I’ll have to try that. On its own I’d drink it. I’m glad I have a bottle. But I wish I paid retail NOW compared to when it came out.