Cardhu Gold Reserve - Game of Thrones House Targaryen

In February 2019 a friend and I decided to do the first of several tastings of a handful of whiskies we each had. The first Scotch of the bunch (third overall) was his Cardhu Gold Reserve, the Cardhu offering in the Game of Thrones series representing House Targaryen. I am typically an Islay guy, so I didn’t have tremendous expectations of this, but went in with an open mind. This was enjoyed neat on February 24, 2019 at a buddy’s house.

Cardhu Gold Reserve, NAS, Speyside Single Malt, 40% ABV

Color: Dark gold.

Nose: Nuts, malt.

Taste: Maybe a little fruity and dry, a bit spicy and sweet. Most prevalent is malt, in a very big way, and it has a kind of soft, creamy quality. It was hard to find other flavors through the malt. Water made it bad and I had to pour out the remainder.

Finish: Malt tapering off.

I enjoyed this well enough given my flavor preferences and this being well away from them. This didn’t have any of the peat, smoke, or wood flavors I most appreciate in a whisky, but wasn’t offensive (until adding water). However, it seems like it was the wrong choice to represent the house whose sigil is a Dragon.

Score: 71