Dalwhinnie Winter's Frost

This bottling is aligned with the House Stark. I guess it has something to do with wolves, since there's a picture of a wolf on the label; apparently it was chosen because the House Stark is in the north end of Westeros where it's freezing cold (Dalwhinnie is the coldest distillery in Scotland due to its elevation). There is a Dalwhinnie expression called Winter's Gold, though I have no idea if it is similar to this or not. Bottle code is L8297CM007.

The colour is a light gold. On the nose we have classic Dalwhinnie: sweet crisp malt with runny honey, strawberries, white chocolate, kumquats and watercress. Light, sweet and dessert-y. Hint of pine needles. Water brings out a bright freshness. Maybe it's a little thin, but it still has a clean sweetness that I really like.

On the palate the notes are consistent with more honey, mandarin orange, toasted oak and a hint of dill. Pine needles. Underripe grapes. Sea salt. Jasmine? A bit mouth-coating. With water there's more malt and sea salt. There's a lot going on here, especially considering how light and delicate this seems. A crisp, easy tipple.

The finish is thin and delicate with more of that pine, nutmeg and a briny quality. I'm a real fan of the Dalwhinnie 15 Year Old so I'm quite liking this one. It retains the house style, though it is a bit thinner.

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