Johnny Walker White Walker?

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

New Cigars




PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Drucquers Banner

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Status
Not open for further replies.

gerryp

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 8, 2018
704
2,368
56
Arabi, LA
I saw this in a store today and was wondering if anyone here has tried it. It says "The new blend is best served ice cold, inspired by the White Walkers beyond The Wall." Ice cold Scotch??? I don't mind that it's a little gimmicky with the color-changing bottle and all (I'm a GoT fan), but ice cold Scotch???

 

morgansteele

Can't Leave
Mar 23, 2018
313
427
Scotch is a versatile drink, but I'm no expert. I remember Johnnie Walker Gold is recommended cold and I used to keep in the freezer. I say give it a go, and remember the golden rule of alcohol: It's your drink so drink it the way you like it.

 
May 9, 2018
1,687
86
Raleigh, NC
Game of Thrones fan here too and I saw this advertised a few months ago, but I don't get into a liquor store often enough to look for things I want to try. Did pick up the GoT related wines though. Haven't popped one yet.
I do really want to try it though, so I'll be really interested to see if anyone has tried it. Gimmicky is alright by me, so long as it's actually good.

 

buster

Lifer
Sep 1, 2011
1,305
3
I haven't tried it but I did read one review saying it's not worth the cost. I like the JW Gold also. There's a few labels that have a game of thrones gimmick going on now. Just relabeled with the GOT houses. Lagavulin, Singlton and a few more I don't remember at the moment. Oh wait I found a link....
https://www.esquire.com/food-drink/drinks/a25176059/game-of-thrones-scotch-whisky-collection/

 

economistandfisherman

Starting to Get Obsessed
Dec 11, 2018
257
3
I drink Johnnie red label a lot over ice, sometimes straight, just depends on my mood (i.e., whether I want a deeper flavor or not). Haven't you ever heard of "scotch on the rocks"? I'm a blended guy mostly, single malts never had much attraction to me, that said, it could be that blends stand up better to ice than single malts...never thought about it or compared the two though.

 

blackadderlxx

Can't Leave
Jun 17, 2018
369
10
I'd be curious how this stuff is. Not curious enough to buy any myself, but curious. I like my plain old Black Label.

 

techie

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 20, 2018
589
10
The reviews haven't been positive for the White.
I've never watched Game of Thrones but I did pick up the Lagavulin 9 Year yesterday, just because of its uniqueness. I also wanted the Talisker but it's not available in my area. That one went pretty fast,

 

jdhayes

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jan 15, 2016
112
2
I had waaaay too much of the white walker this weekend. I had a buddy who had some blue label and this so I got to try it side by side. The white label is easy to drink, I tried it over ice and neat, preferred neat at room temp. Not a big fan of cold whiskey. I couldn't detect any peat or smokey flavors at first. Drank some blue label and it has enough actual scotch flavors to wake my taste buds up. After that, the white label had a very, very small amount of peat in the aftertaste. So overall it was ok, just ok. If you are wanting scotch flavors, this isn't it.

 

crashthegrey

Lifer
Dec 18, 2015
3,810
3,566
41
Cobleskill, NY
www.greywoodie.com
It is a gimmick to serve cold, but worked for this blend. Cold it had flavors of fruit and spice, and as it warmed turned into a pleasant and mild scotch. As a fan, it is well worth the price, but if not for the packaging and all, you are probably better off with your favorite Johnnie blend. It was pretty good, but the price definitely reflects a price to fans. I did find it to be a different blend than their others, though, and not just repackaged. Definitely very low on peat.

 

lawdawg

Lifer
Aug 25, 2016
1,792
3,801
The last thing I'd want in a whisk(e)y is any kind of gimmick. Enjoying a small glass of bourbon, scotch, brandy, or any spirit of your choice neat at room temperature is a timeless and dignified drinking experience which is only cheapened by flavor-of-the-week consumerism. Same applies to the fanatical chasing of hard-to-find liquors which end up as overpriced status symbols on the flipper market, like Pappy Van Winkle bourbons.
Of course, it's really what's in the bottle that counts, and maybe the JW White Walker is a solid dram. Even so, scotch, bourbon, and pipe tobacco are some of my favorite respites from the over-marketed, over-advertised, over-hyped, keeping-up-with-the-Joneses nature of modern culture. So to the gimmicky marketers of the world: "Keep yer damn dirty hands off of mah whiskey and tobaccy! And get off my lawn!" :puffy:

 
Jan 28, 2018
12,953
134,628
66
Sarasota, FL
If you have to drink it cold for it to be good, it probably isn't worth much. Kind of like mixing high end bourbon with coke or putting ketsup on a steak at Mortons. Now, if you have the money and you like it that way, have a happy.

 

crashthegrey

Lifer
Dec 18, 2015
3,810
3,566
41
Cobleskill, NY
www.greywoodie.com
It is gimmicky in that they specify to start cold and let it come to room temperature, like the reverse of adding a rock to a warm scotch. It does change quite a bit during the warming, like any scotch will. It is not bad.

 

lawdawg

Lifer
Aug 25, 2016
1,792
3,801
It was at the front of the store when I was already buying stuff for gifts. Otherwise I probably never would have gotten to the store to try it.
I wasn't trying to give you a hard time about trying it, and I certainly would not turn down a pour, despite my tirade about marketing ploys :puffy:

 

gerryp

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 8, 2018
704
2,368
56
Arabi, LA
If you have to drink it cold for it to be good, it probably isn't worth much. Kind of like mixing high end bourbon with coke or putting ketsup on a steak at Mortons. Now, if you have the money and you like it that way, have a happy.
I feel the same way. I don't put ice in my liquor unless it's a mixed drink since ice tends to dull the flavors. Sometimes I'll put a few drops of cold water in my whiskey just to open up the aroma a little bit. I do, of course, realize that people drink Scotch and various other whiskeys on the rocks, but until now I had never heard of "ice cold" as a recommended serving temperature for any Scotch.
I usually don't buy blended Scotch, but I do like the Johnny Walker products I've had in the past and think they're all good enough to drink neat. I liked Gold and Blue more than the others, of course, but personally I didn't think Blue was good enough to justify the price difference.
Funny story: A friend of mine got a bottle of JW Blue for Christmas one year. One day he came home and saw the bottle, which was previously about 2/3 full but now empty, sitting on the kitchen counter. When questioned, his wife told him she had used it to make bbq sauce. Fortunately I had a chance to sample it before it was destroyed.

 
Status
Not open for further replies.