Talisker Reserve, Game of Thrones House Greyjoy - Review
Age: No age statement
Barrel type: Ex-bourbon
Region: Isle of Skye
ABV: 45.8%
Price: $60
Additional details: Chill filtered, coloring added
This review has been a long time coming. We bought this bottle on a trip to Spain back in October 2019, during a visit to the Johnnie Walker flagship store in Salamanca, Madrid. Quite the store, by the way. If you ever want to witness a temple to contemporary scotch -- or perhaps more accurately, to contemporary scotch marketing -- it's the place to be. It's massive, glossy, and decidedly modern in style, part of an effort to broaden scotch whisky's market appeal and move beyond the stereotypical leather armchairs and cigar-smoking backrooms with which scotch is still associated.
Speaking of marketing department-directed decisions, Talisker Reserve is part of Diageo's Game of Thrones collection. The basic idea is clever: match Diageo's deep portfolio of whisky distilleries with the feudal houses of the Game of Thrones universe. House Tyrell, for example, is a family with vast, wealthy agricultural territories and adopts the rose as its symbol; its counterpart in the whisky collection is a Clynelish of indeterminate age that presumably has some floral notes. The collection debuted ahead of the TV series' final season and was initially billed as a one-time limited edition series. Apparently its sales were brisk enough that Diageo reconsidered that whole "limited" label, and these bottles are still on shelves today.
As a whole, the collection has received pretty mixed reviews (as did the show's final season, to put it generously, but that's a discussion for another time). Part of the letdown was that the pairings between distilleries and fictional houses didn't make consistent sense. Some had a tenuous connection, like Royal Lochnagar matched to House Baratheon (the royal family in the series). Others seemed like an excuse to highlight lesser-known and inferior quality whiskies in the portfolio, like the matchup of Cardhu Gold Reserve with House Targaryen. The Talisker analogy was an obvious one; House Greyjoy are essentially Vikings who live on a set of islands off the west coast of the fictional Westeros, and Talisker comes from the Isle of Skye, just west of the mainland of Scotland.
Without further ado, let's get to tasting!
Appearance: The bottle design is eye-catching. Bravo, Diageo, job well done! The label features the kraken, House Greyjoy's emblem, and is a nice conversation starter, particularly for fans of the show or the book series. The whisky itself looks nice enough, although with coloring, I'd certainly expect it to appear appetizing.
Nose: There's a startling amount of sweetness on the nose: honey, caramel, and sugar-coated cereal. There's also some sharp spice drawer essence, along with a wisp or two of smoke, that make this an excellent beginner's guide to Talisker's flavor profile. Nothing sticks out too much, but it's a decidedly pleasant and welcoming aroma. A few reviews have identified orange peel or citrus zest as a note, and that summertime fruit vibe is undeniable, albeit unusual for a customarily briny and peppery scotch like Talisker.
Palate: The orange or citrus dominates the palate along with mild woodsmoke. Traces of brine hint at the common inheritance of this whisky and Talisker 10 or Talisker Storm, two burlier scotches that I prefer to this one. It almost tastes as if one teaspooned a young, fruit-forward bourbon into some scotch. Some more caramel emerges over time, although some sips are decidedly more burnt or smoky. I suspect that seasoned scotch drinkers would find this to be an easy sipper, while it may be a bit too smoky at times for a newbie.
Finish: This one's not a marathon runner, more of a sprinter. It's quick and to the point: chili, honey, and dry peppers.
Value for Money and Final Impressions: This is a scotch without obvious flaws but without memorable strengths. It's a pleasant, mild Talisker. If Coca Cola got their hands on this, it'd be called Talisker Lite or Diet Talisker. Whether it's a good value for money hinges on how widely available the other Talisker official bottlings are, and their prices, in your nearby liquor store. Around where we live, Talisker 10 is $75 and up, which is a bit steep from my perspective, although that is an excellent scotch. Occasionally, either online or in liquor stores, I can find Talisker Storm for $45 or so. That seems like the best value of the Talisker lineup because Storm is such a fun whisky to drink, making up in flavor what it lacks in subtlety or complexity. Because this one has fewer rough edges, I could see a fan of Highland or Speyside scotches liking this one better than other Taliskers. To put it another way, someone who isn't normally a fan of Talisker may find this scotch accessible.
Rating: B
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