The Final Game of Thrones Single Malt Whisky Is Better Than the Series Finale

By Jonah Flicker November 11, 2019

game of thrones bran stark — Helen Sloan/HBO

Game of Thrones is finally over after a series finale last spring that disappointed many and thrilled a few others. Now, the Game of Thrones series of single malt whiskies from Diageo is coming to a close as well and hopefully, this expression will be better received than Bran the Broken as ruler of the Six Kingdoms. (I mean, come on, he gets to be king while Jon Snow has to head beyond the Wall to the frigid north again and Arya takes a ship to who knows where?)

Game of Thrones Six Kingdoms Mortlach Aged 15 Years Bottle Packaging — Diageo

Six Kingdoms Mortlach Aged 15 Years will be available beginning this December, a tribute to the Three-Eyed Raven, aka the space-and-time-traveling Greenseer, aka the eternally spaced out Brandon Stark. The whisky itself is 15 years old, aged in first-fill sherry-seasoned casks and finished in ex-bourbon barrels, imparting it with vanilla and spice flavors “befitting of those with a noble palate,” according to the brand. It has a strong, commanding nose and notes of oak and dried fig on the palate and is bottled at 46% ABV and will be available for an SRP of $150.

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The Game of Thrones Single Malt Scotch Whisky Collection Bottle Lineup — Diageo

This isn’t the first boozy collaboration for the series. The whole Game of Thrones whisky tie-in began with White Walker by Johnnie Walker, which came out last spring, a blend of malt and grain based around whiskies from Cardhu and Clynelish, Scotland’s northernmost distilleries. Throw this bottle in the fridge and the thermochromic ink Johnnie Walker striding man logo gets zombie-fied into a White Walker visage.

The Game of Thrones Single Malt Scotch Whisky Collection featured eight bottles, each linked to a House of Westeros and each coming from a different Diageo distillery. And this past summer saw the release of Johnnie Walker A Song of Ice and Johnnie Walker A Song of Fire; a Song of Ice focuses on whisky from the Clynelish distillery and is recommended served on the rocks, while A Song of Fire offers a bit of smoke by using whisky from Caol Ila and is suggested to drink neat. Each is available for an SRP of $36 until supplies run out.

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Whiskey comes in all shapes and forms. In Japan, it’s spelled 'whisky,' in Scotland, it’s Scotch, and in the Pacific Northwest, it’s now salmon-safe.

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Scotch vs. Whiskey: All You Need To Know

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The first thing you need to understand when we talk about scotches versus whiskey, is that all Scotches are whiskies, though not all whiskies are scotches. If you are learning how to drink whiskey, knowing the difference is fundamental. That’s the easiest way to remember how that works. But why? Well, for starters Scotch is made in Scotland. Also for naming's sake, whiskeys are for American and Irish-made whiskies. Whisky is for Canadian, Japanese, and Scottish whiskies.

Scotch is hugely popular, even though in 2020 the Scotch Whisky Association said the industry “lost a decade of growth” as sales fell 20% due to high tariffs from the U.S. and Europe and the pandemic. Still, the industry exported £3.8 billion, which made up for approximately 75% of Scottish food and beverage exports.

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A Comprehensive Guide to Japanese Whisky Cocktails

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A land famous for sake and shochu, Japan has also become one of the best whisky makers in the world. Although whisky making in Japan is relatively new compared to Scotland and Ireland (places with centuries of whisky history), Japan has made great strides in a short period of time. In 2015, internationally acclaimed Jim Murray's Whisky Bible named Suntory’s Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013 the best whisky in the world. Japanese whiskey brands have even appeared in Hollywood pop culture, most famously in the film Lost in Translation with Bill Murray. For whisky aficionados around the world, Japanese whisky is nearly peerless, responsible for some of the best products in the world.
For such an in-depth topic, an expert is needed. Enter Shigefumi (Shige) Kabashima, the owner and bar director of NR and ROKC (Esquire’s “Best Bars in America 2017” and Thrillist’s “Best Cocktail Bars in America 2018”) in New York. Born and raised in Kyushu, Japan, Kabashima has twenty years of bartending and management experience. He has also taught Japanese bartender-style seminars and has been a consultant for hotels, restaurants, and bars in the United States and abroad. His latest venture is NR, a unique Japanese cocktail and ramen spot in Manhattan's Upper East Side. The design of the distinctive establishment was inspired by the port cities during Japan's Meiji Period (1868-1912). The cocktail program here is extensive, featuring both classic and innovative cocktails, many of them featuring Japanese whisky.

What Makes Japanese Whisky Unique?
Japanese whisky-making is heavily inspired by Scotland (hence the spelling of whisky without the "e" after Scotch whisky). One man is responsible for starting the whisky tradition in Japan — Masataka Taketsuru, a Japanese chemist who arrived in Scotland in 1918. Originally in Scotland to study chemistry, Taketsuru soon became enamored with whisky and eventually brought the tradition back to Japan. Things moved fast and by the 1920s, whisky was already being produced at the commercial level in Japan, centered on the first Japanese whisky distillery in Kyoto.
Similar to Scotch, Japanese whisky also uses a large amount of malted barley. This barley is then mashed, twice distilled, and wood-aged in American oak or Sherry casks. Japanese whisky makers will also use native Mizunara oak, giving the whisky a citrusy and spicy fragrance. Most whisky distilleries in Japan are owned by two companies — Nikka and Suntory. But there is an interesting fact about Japan's whisky industry that makes it unique from other countries. Despite Japan being influenced by Scottish whisky, there is a major divergence in terms of sharing. Unlike Scotland, there is no sharing between Japanese distilleries, forcing each Japanese distillery to self-innovate. This makes it difficult to classify Japanese whisky by any singular style, resulting in a diverse range of flavors ranging from fruity or herbaceous to citrusy or vanilla.
This diversity can be a challenge even for experts. “Since there is such a huge variety these days, I think it is difficult to tell the difference in taste by category. Personally, I like to drink Yamazaki 12y Japanese whisky and Buffalo Trace bourbon,” said Kabashima.