Johnnie Walker is one of
the most famous and easily recognizable whisky brands worldwide. Even if you're
not a whisky enthusiast, you've likely come across the name Johnnie
Walker at some point.
We also know that many
brands are named to honor fictional people. So, was there a Johnnie Walker, and
if so, who was he?
Johnnie Walker, born in
1805, lost his father tragically at the age of 14. Consequently, the family had
to sell their farm that same year. In 1820, the money from the sale was used to
invest in a grocery store in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, which Johnnie managed
despite his young age. Within five years, he started selling a variety of
spirits from the store.
Johnnie quickly stopped
producing all spirits except for whisky. At the time, combining malt and grain
whiskies was against the law, so he focused on creating blends of malt and
grain whiskies to meet his customer's specific preferences. He recognized the
need for a brand and began selling his blended malts as Walker's
Kilmarnock Whisky.
After Johnnie's passing in
1857, his son and grandson inherited the brand. With the passing of The
Spirits Act of 1860, the restriction on blending malts and grains was
lifted, creating new opportunities for distillers.
In 1893, the Walkers
purchased the Cardhu distillery. The Cardhu brand was retired.
What was there was sold as a five-year Old Highland, a
nine-year Special Old Highland, and a 12-year Extra Special
Old Highland. The first had a white label, the second was red, and the
third was black. People would order these whiskies by their respective colors.
It wasn’t long before the Walkers rebranded their whiskies to reflect
customers' preferences.
As
I’m sure you are aware, there was an HBO series called Game of Thrones, which is based on the book series by George R.R. Martin. If you’ve never heard of it, it is a fantasy
series involving many mind games, dragons, deceit, heroes, and villains. Several
Diageo brands hopped on the bandwagon and offered special, limited-edition single
malt whiskies to represent each of the Houses in Game of Thrones.
To
capitalize on the success of those single malts, Diageo then turned to Johnnie
Walker to offer White Walker
plus A Song of Ice and A Song of Fire, named for the series book A Song of Ice and Fire.
Today,
we’re exploring A Song of Ice. It is meant to pay tribute to the Direwolves of
the House of Stark. It comes from a blend of single malts distilled at Clynelish Distillery of Scotland’s Highland region. It is 40.1% ABV
(80.2°), and while technically a limited edition from 2019, I still see it at
various liquor stores. The suggested retail for a 750ml is $29.99.
A friend handed me a sample of A Song of Ice
to review. Let’s #DrinkCurious and learn more.
Appearance: I
poured this whisky into my Glencairn glass to sip neat. The liquid inside was
golden. It formed a thick rim and husky, crawling legs.
Nose: The
sweet aroma included peaches, pears, raisins, honey, and vanilla. When I drew
it through my lips, the air produced a puff of vanilla bean.
Palate: I encountered
a waxy texture on the first sip, and it increased on the second. The front of
my palate found vanilla, pears, and apples. Midway through, I tasted lemon
curd, orange peel, and raisins. The back included flavors of oak, white pepper,
and malt.
Finish:
Medium-to-long in duration, the finish included wood spice, orange and lemon
zests, vanilla, white pepper, and a gentle kiss of smoke.
Bottle, Bar, or Bust: I did
enjoy how this Scotch whisky made a u-turn from the middle to back, going from
very sweet to suddenly spicy. It was nice that, even at this low proof, the
typical Clynelish waxiness remained. A Song of Ice is a very easy-drinking
whisky, thanks again to its low ABV. Overall, this is a good-value Scotch and
one worthy of your consideration. My Bottle rating is well-earned. Cheers!
My Simple, Easy-to-Understand
Rating System
- Bottle = Buy It
- Bar = Try It
- Bust = Leave It
Whiskeyfellow encourages
you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you to do so responsibly.
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