J.W. Lees Harvest Ale (Lagavulin)

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

Huge thanks to theisti for this fantastic beer. Pours a honey golden with no head. Aromas of honeysuckle, peat, smoke and golden raisins. Mouthfeel is full and creamy...orange-honey liqueur with bourbon-wet wood chips. Great sweet honey finish....love it. Thanks T!

Dark brown color with a thin white head which doesn’t linger long. Aroma is strong and somewhat sweet with a lingering whiskey smell. Taste is sweet, maybe a little cloying with a strong whiskey backing. Overall, maybe a little syrupy for my taste, but definitely a well made beer.

Delicious! It tasted like I was drinking smooth syrupy whisky. Very sweet in flavor as well.

The 275ml bottle poured a hazy reddish orange colored beverage with a thin off-white fizzy head that was completely gone in 2 minutes and left no lacing. This is no doubt due to the high alcohol content. The aroma was typical of the style with great cloying sweet notes of port wine or sherry. Lurking at the edge of perception was a hint of oak and smoked peat as well. The body was quite full with almost no carbonation and an oily, smooth texture. The flavor starts out very sweet and stays that way through to the end of the long finish. There is significant but smooth alcohol warmth in the chest. This one is best consumed around a warm fire on a cold blustery evening.

Bottled, 2005 edition. Dull peach color with some sentiment floating in it. Almost no head or lacing. Fruity and heady aroma. The flavour is almost unpleasantly sweet, but it has this deliciously complex, smoky whiskey flavor and a long and mysterious aftertaste. A unique treat, but kind of hard to take.

Cloudy red, no head. Aroma is apple and some other fruity notes. plus some smoke and caramel. Flavor is overly sweet and alcohol. Where is the Scotch? Shouldn’t there be more Lagavulin character?

Bottle. A orange beer with a big beige head. Sweet caramel malt, whisky, wood and fruits aroma and taste. Medium to full body with a sweet warming finish. More please!

Date: 06/14/2008
Mode: Firkin
Source: Brick Store Pub
Vintage: 2001

Appearance: muddy burnt orange, headless,
Aroma: big smokey dark caramel and rum raison aroma, charred wood,
Body: still body,
Flavor: sweet dark caramel flavor, nice vanilla sweetness, smoked wood character adds bitterness as the scotch comes in, lots of alcohol gives warmth without distraction,

Aroma: 9/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 9/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 18/20
Rating: 4.3/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: ***4
-------- /> Date: 11/24/2006
Mode: Bottle
Source: Green’s, Atlanta
Vintage: 2004

Appearance: muddy brown, scant beige head,
Aroma: smokey charred wood aroma,
Body: creamy body,
Flavor: rich malt flavor with tons of smokey charred wood character, rich fruit, light bitterness from the charred wood, the sweet fruity finally fights through to balance with the charred character,
Overall: the most flavorful and unique of the casked versions
-------- /> Date: 05/09/2008
Mode: bottle
Vintage: 2004
Score: 3.4 to 4.1
Words: cellar stock

Appearance: clear dark ruby red, scant beige head, glossy surface,
Aroma: sweet oak and vanilla aroma, brown sugar sweetness, dark fruits, nice smokey whisky character, touch of chocolate, light alcohol,
Body: big body,
Flavor: rich sweet caramel flavor, lots of brown sugar sweetness brings out a big deep dark fruity character, nice chocolate, well balanced whiskey,

Aroma: 8/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 17/20
Rating: 4.1/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: ***+/4