J.W. Lees Harvest Ale (Lagavulin)

Brewed by J.W. Lees
Style: Barley Wine
Middleton Junction, England

VINTAGE: 2006 Man oh man...happy birthday to me! Golden coppery color with almost no head at all (as was expected). Not so unlike apricot nectar. The aroma is quite smokey/peaty, like scotch (duh!) but in a sweet vaporous cloud. The taste is amazing! Very sweet malt taste combined with just the right amount of smoke and peatiness to make it completely enjoyable. There is also plenty of honey-dipped fruit flavor to be found here. Peaches, apricots, pineapple, perhaps a date or even a fig. Tastes almost like smoked butterscotch. (Where is the 11.5% a.b.v.? Certainly not in the taste! Wow! Super smooth!) This is like liquid velvet in your mouth. It feels so good that I think I’d drink it even if it didn’t taste this wonderful. I could easily enjoy several of these in a row, but when something tastes this good you want to savor it and make it last. I can’t wait ’til I get the chance to buy more of these. (Fortunately, that will be in about 4 weeks!) This is so amazing, I can’t recommend it highly enough! Pick one up as soon as you are able.

2007 Bottle. Poured an orange/brown with a quick fizzy off-white head. Aromas of whiskey, barrel wood, and light alcohol. The flavor found whiskey, caramel, and smoke. Medium to full body with a sweet wood aftertaste.

275ml 2006 bottle. Pours a deep, slightly murky, brown sugar toffee brown color with a couple of bubbles. So, Lagavulin is my scotch of choice and as I pour this into the glass the rich earthy peat is just intoxicating my nose. Sweet and buttery caramel on the nose with some smoke and earthy peat. Silky slightly viscous body with traces of carbonation. Sweet, prune, smoke and the unmistakable flavor of Lagavulin. Not for everyone and definitely one to take the time to enjoy.

9.3 oz bottle. Hazy brown with minimal froth and some floatie bits. Nose is caramel, scotch and peat; the sweetness slightly tempered by the barrel. A bit syrupy, a bit of carb. Taste is caramel and butterscotch with some backside smoke. Kind of kippery.

2003 bottle shared by BBB63 consumed 10/9/9. Thanks Mike! I definitely prefered this and the sherry to the port and calvados. The Calvados, Port, and sherry had much more of a common denominator than this beer. The Barrel seemed to transform this one quite a bit. There were notes of smokey beef jerkey, caramel, peat, sea salt, and cough syrup. Not as smooth as the sherry, but still quite quaffable. Really interesting and tasty I would probably enjoy drinking the sherry version most often, but this version was the most interesting of the 4. Thanks again Mike!

Source:2004 bottle.
Glass:North coast snifter.
Appearance:Clear orange pour with no head.
Aroma:Scotch...that’s it.
Flavor:Scotch, with sweet malt and residual sugar.
Palate:Medium body with no carbonation.
Overall:Didn’t care for this too much. Barrel aging, believe it or not, seems overdone (I love BA beers).

gavulin cask bottling, vintage 2004. Tasted July 2006. Pours a slightly hazy amber orange. Minimal head that dissipated quickly. Nose is very lambic like with wild fruity aromas. Almost raspberryish. On the palate I find the distinctive smoky/peatyness that is no doubt from the Islay malt casks, however they do not define the beer exclusively. There’s a pleasant maple syrup sweetness and thickness of body that is noticed at the same time. Late palate into the finish is very malty sweet, some honey as well, with some tartness/bitterness that balances well. For me this is a dessert beer and unfortunately it’s my first pour of the evening. When the lambic mood strikes, reach for a curious alternative.

Pours amber with really no head at all. Sweet barleywine aroma, with hints of smoke and booze. Flavor is huge, with the brown sugar and alcohol of a barleywine, but also the complexities and smokiness of the whiskey, as well as the oak from the barrels. Great.