BrewDog Paradox Islay (Batch 015)

Bottle bought @ De Molen. Deep dark brown color, almost opague. Very peaty aroma, iodine, totally blowing away the dark chocolate notes. Initial sweetness, dark chocolate, malt and dried fruit in the flavor, attacked and almost conquered by the iodine and peat I have only found in Laphroig, and finally dominating in the aftertaste. The balance is really not perfect, but this beer is so bloody delicious!!!

Bottle in a hotel room in Utrecht. Black coloured with a small beige head. Roasted aroma of smoke, peat and whisky. Roasted flavour of peat and whisky with notes of smoke. Roasted finish anof whisky and smoke.

[330ml bottle from Tuckers Maltings, Newton Abbot] Pours ruby-black with a slight beige head. Aromas of woodsmoke, cough mixture and (very definitely) strongly peated island whisky. Flavour is also dominated by all the flavours of island single malt - more smoke, oak, peat and tar, with honey coming through. Incredibly smooth, incredibly mellow, very relaxing - the perfect winter nightcap (providing that, like me, you like island single malts!). This was heading for attaining my highest rating to date, until with the last couple of sips I decided that it was just a tad too sweet. However, it’s not sticky with it - the mouthfeel is perfect. Quite simply a superb beer.

A black colored beer, with a thick beige head. The aroma of dark malts, smoked, dry wood with strong whisky. The taste is dry bitter, a little sweet. There is chocolate with some vanilla. Notes of wood with strong whisky flavors. The aftertaste is bitter, some sweet with alcohol.

11.2 oz. bottle. Pours very dark brown, not quite black, with a thin light brown head that quickly fades away and leaves scant lace. The aroma is predominantly smoke, and is a combination of wood smoke and smokey meat. I much prefer wood smoke to smoked meat in both aroma and flavor in my smoked beers, so this is turning out be a love/hate kind of thing. The flavor is again dominated by the same wood smoke / smoked meat attribute along with a bit of molasses. Finish is a tad thin. Definitely something different. I’m glad I waited for the cooler weather for this one.

Bottle 0,33ltr: Opaque black with an brownish head, hints of the Islay whiskey. Great variant of the Imperial Stout-style.

Bottle from Bierkoning. Darkest brown pour with slight, tan head. Smokey nose from a mile away. Taste of smoke, also chocolate and vanilla. Lightens up towards the end, then warming. Familiar BrewDog flavours.

Bottle@Home. Power pure peat aroma. Black colour, small beige head, good lace. Light sweet, bitter, peat, pure iodine, in the background chocolate and licorice. Starts full bodied but finishes thinnish. If you like Islay whisky it’s probably great but to me it was a good Stout wasted.