 Beerlando (1135), Orlando, Florida, USA
May 7, 2008
Pours a thick looking, inky chocolate brown to virtually black color. A frothy, cream colored head settles to a thin film with a prominent, bubbly edge. Random patches and splatterings of lace mark the glass. The nose shows dark chocolate, caramel, sweet peaty smoke, dry whiskey, and some earthy hop character. At this point, I can’t believe how much better this smells than the 12 year. The first sip is nearly mind blowing, as the balance is damn near perfect, a stark contrast to the 12 year version, which was far more harsh. Sweet and bitter dark chocolates lay the base, while soft peat and smooth whiskey add perfectly subtle compliments. There’s a lactic creaminess that goes incredibly well with the dry smokiness. The body is medium-full and silky smooth, finishing slightly dry and chalky, with lingering peat on the tongue. This is a flat-out awesome brew. I can’t believe how much better this is than the 12. A chocolate and scotch lover’s dream.
henrikb (1008), Aarhus, Denmark
Jul 8, 2008 Black body and a dark brown head; Good but the aroma could be bigger, all the right and very pleasant aromas but somehow the nose doesn’t know if if really wants to be a whiskey barrel aged beer or not; Super soft very pleasant body, maybe it is the fact that it is very pleasant that is wrong an old ale should not be very pleasant, it should be pleasant and very complex and hard to understand (imo of cause); Warm soft and aroma and texture in finish, again it is to simple good and not aggressive enough. A hard rating of a very good beer, Thanks.
mgumby10 (1480), West Palm Beach, Florida, USA
Jul 5, 2008 Pours pretty jet black, with a small, quickly dispersing, light brown head. The smell is rich with caramel cream, light peat, molasses, gingerbread, dark fruit, and mild chocolate. Really dug that nose. The flavor was a little heavier on the peat and smoke than the nose let on, although not too burning or up front. Left some nice heat in the finish however. The flavor was of burnt malts and dark fruit mixing with mild chocolate bitterness and woodsy oak. Well carbonated, more than I expected. The finish was a little fruity sweet, with the mild chocolate notes becoming apparent a bit. Very nice brew indeed.
LooseCannon (572), Norfolk, Virginia, USA
Jul 4, 2008 11.2oz bottle, Bottle No & date 03749/Sept 2007. Pours pitch black in color with thin brown head. Aroma sweet, dark chocolate and roasted malt. Taste chocolate, Scotch, coffee and bitter sweet with bitter and dry finish.
MartinT (4241), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Jul 3, 2008 My Bottom Line:
Sublime peat smoke rises from the dark chocolate, vanilla and licorice dessert bestowed upon the ecstatic tastebuds in this rich, complex and highly original Old Ale.
Further Personal Perceptions:
-A veil of foam lingers atop the pitch blackness.
-The salty component from the highly peated barrel alters the vanilla and chocolate aspect of the malt sweetness and takes it into sweet soy realms.
-The roastiness also takes the form of charred wood at times.
-There is barely any alcohol showing in this flavor profile.
-The smoky and roasty finish is bitter and enduring, but not too much as to bother the tastebuds.
-The body is corpulent and is easily perceptible due to the relaxed carbonation.
Bottled in September 2007.
heemer77 (3536), North Liberty, Iowa, USA
Jul 1, 2008 No one around here seems to care, so I am drinking a bottle of this one on my own. Black body with a light brown head. Massive peat malt and smoke dominate the aroma. there is also some of that sea smell. at first, I could not detect the beer behind the overwhelming scotch. However, as it warmed, the beers malt was subtle with some light chocolate. The taste is the expected peat with a salty and lightly smoky finish. As it warms, the beer starts to shine a little past the whisky. There are notes of deep prunes and dark chocolate. A thick and oily mouthfeel complements the beer. i wanted to like this one more, but again, the barrel aging is just too much.
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