Johnnie Walker A Song of Ice

This is another offering from Johnnie Walker, inspired by the HBO series "Game of Thrones." This particular blend is called "Song of Ice," a whisky designed to evoke a sense of coolness, with Clynelish forming the flavor's foundation. Historically, many of these Johnnie Walker Game of Thrones whiskies were underwhelming, and the White Walker edition was particularly bad, so let's see how this one fares. It's bottled at 40.2% ABV and presents a golden hue. The aroma is quite fruity, featuring grapefruit, very fresh apples, pear, and vanilla. After extended breathing, a subtle toffee note emerges. There's a faint, spicy character, reminiscent of red apples with caramel. It's not unpleasant. The palate mirrors the nose's profile: apples, pears, and pepper. It's very fruity, with notes of pear skin. A subsequent sip introduced grapefruit and other citrus elements. The finish is acceptable but somewhat uninspired, with hints of burnt dry grass, ginger, and a muted smokiness. After a few sips, the grain whisky components become apparent, offering notes of maize and corn. Overall, this isn't terrible. I anticipated something worse. It doesn't quite achieve a "cold" sensation or significant complexity; rather, it offers a broadly appealing profile. The companion bottling, "Song of Fire," is considerably more disappointing, and I might actually finish this bottle someday, perhaps by sharing it frequently. I rate it 76 out of 100.

On sale for nearly half price, I couldn't resist. The aroma is of candle wax with floral fruit, dryer lint, and toasted oak. Some graininess appears around the edges. Melted waxy fruit on the palate, but the graininess is now fully apparent. There's some decent malt and light oak, but the grain overpowers it. The finish is a sharp, sour grain masking the fading fruit/malt/oak. It has a funkiness like someone vomited in a high school hallway and the janitor covered it with sawdust. It's unfortunate because some pleasant flavors are present, but they are drowned out by grain alcohol......67/100.....drinkable but not truly desired.

I tried my first glass with a large ice cube, as recommended by Johnnie Walker for serving cold (in my experience, this often means a lot of grain whisky burn). The nose is grassy and clean, just as advertised. It's less syrupy on the palate than the White Walker version. Abundant vanilla overshadows a subtle fruit note, and as it chills and dilutes, the taste becomes almost indistinguishable. The finish is clean. I purchased it based on the marketing ploy.

I sampled this and the Song of Fire variant consecutively. On the nose, this was subtly floral and fruity. It brought to mind pears, peaches, honeysuckle, and apple blossoms. The flavor was mildly sweet and fruity. I didn't detect any floral notes during tasting. It was decent but not very complex. It strongly resembled Paddy’s Irish whiskey. This would be a suitable scotch for a novice.

Consumed neat. After some time in the glass, I detected tropical fruit, grass, and caramel butterscotch sweetness. A subtle smoke emerges after more time passes. A longer, more pronounced finish than expected, with grassy notes at the end. Easy to drink and very pleasant. Update: after the bottle was about half consumed, over a couple of months, some very nice spice developed at the finish.

I disliked it initially, but now I find it to be an acceptable drink. It has fruity notes and a bit of butter caramel; it's not spicy at all. An unusual aftertaste lingers on the back of my tongue. I didn't have high expectations for a "themed" whisky. Let's hope we don't see a Star Wars collection (with oil tasting like androids in R2D2-shaped bottles).