Kickstarter-Watch: D’icy Monsters

I like whisky. I like whisky enough that I generally don’t add ice. As a slow drinker, I don’t really want to water down my whisky. Well, a wee splash in a peaty malt is welcome, but otherwise I prefer it neat. I also do hold a slight grudge against ice-guzzling American drinkers who have made chill-filtering such a tragically common practice.

Here are some of my favourites:

Lovely!

Looking at these bottles, the Old Pulteney is an absolute winner for the price. It’s such a pleasant, easy drink that has the advantage for me of also being very local. Dalwhinnie is a very gentle drink that I like to take with me to places where I might be sharing with others who are not as regular whisky drinkers. There’s just nothing not to like in a Dalwhinnie and it doesn’t come on too strong. The Benromach is a little more on the peaty side, which isn’t always my thing, but it was actually the whisky that got me into whisky, and it has a special place in my heart for that. The Glenmorangie Lasanta and Tamnavulin Sherry Cask are both single malts that have been decanted from the traditional bourbon cask into a sherry cask, taking on some of the flavours thereof. I really enjoy whiskies with a sherry finish, though sherry itself would very rarel be my drink of choice in any situation. Finally, Stroma is the Old Pulteney liqueur. It’s very sweet, as you’d expect, but it’s absolutely gorgeous. I quite like taking a 50/50 mix of Stroma and 12-year-old Old Pulteney over some ice. Or, indeed, over a nice, cool whisky stone. Stroma is also the only drink on this list that isn’t a single malt. There are some blends that I enjoy, but these are my favourites.

Now, as a product, whisky stones aren’t a new product. They’ve been around for a while and you definitely get both basic, cheap ones, and more expensive ones. They allow you to cool your drink without it getting all watery as the ice melts.

The BoardGame Zone has a Kickstarter campaign on the go that promises a particularly nerdy variety of whisky stones:

The D’icy Monsters promise to be obsidian whisky stones (food safe, obviously) in the shape of dice. They are offering a full set of polyhedral dice. Of course, there are usable as large, ornamental dice on the tabletop, but can also be put in the freezer to then be placed in a drink to maintain coldness.

In all honestly, I don’t think I’d want a full set of them. This isn’t just because the full set costs approximately £160 before postage, but also because of a combination of the shapes involved, and the intended use. I just don’t think that raising a glass to your mouth with a sharp, pyramid-shaped D4 in it is a particularly good idea, comfort-wise. Perhaps I’m being overly negative about that. They certainly look really nice, and there are a few variations to choose from:

Of these dice, my favourite is definitely IceDragon. The D20 is that little bit more ornate; that little bit more special. They’re also a decent size. The images do show that these are larger than typical dice, but including the measurements helps us get a much firmer grasp on this. These are chonky. They have heft. Being made of stone, they will also be satisfyingly heavy. Perhaps not something you’d use on a good table, but with a suitable dicebox or another surface to roll on, they’re going to feel fantastic.

The single D20 will cost you around £40. This is a lot more approachable than the £160 that you’d sink into a whole set. That said, if I could justify the £160, would I go for a full set? Probably not. I think instead of going for the full polyhedral set, I’d likely order four of the D20s instead. The D20 is the iconic D&D dice, and it’s by far the nicest item in these sets. I think four D20s would look better on the mantlepiece with your glasses and decanter than the polyhedral set would. That’s something to consider, definitely.

Would I buy these?

Eeeh… Maybe.

I’m a whisky drinker. I’m not a collector. I don’t need whisky paraphernalia and accessories, beyond a couple of nice glasses. I’d be lying if I said that these weren’t tempting, though. If money weren’t an object or a worry, I might splash out, though as I mentioned above this might not be on a polyhedral set. I do think that the D20 is the star of the show, and a set of 2 or 4 of these would be far more appealing than the standard set.

This is worth a look if you’re really into both roleplaying games and whisky, but the price is not trivial. There are lovely sets of whisky stones that you can get at a much lower price and more basic sets that you can get for under a tenner. You’re paying for visuals though, and there’s no denying that The BoardGame Zone has really nailed that aspect.

You can click here to visit the campaign page for D’icy Monsters.