J.W. Lees Harvest Ale (Lagavulin)

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

Serve in Snifter

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Bottled. If you like smokey, peat then this is for you. This reminded me of sweet and smokey barbecue. Pretty amazing to harness those flavors in a beer. Cool.

Thanks to dedollewaitor. Blind tasted. Pours amber with a small beige head. Aroma is heavy peated smoke, peated whiskey and alcohol. Flavour is sweet caramel, alcohol, heavy peated smoke, whiskey, oak and vanilla.

2008 edition. My GF brought this back for me from the States (1 of 3 different Harvest Ale from J.W. Lees). Pours a deep amber colour with loads of chunky pulp floating all over. Medium off-white head that disappears quick enough and does not leave much lacing. Big nutty nose with notes of dark fruits (raisins, plums, prunes), oak and a light touch of whiskey (which vanishes quickly after the pour). Creamy mouthfeel that is quite smooth. The taste is very, very sweet. Loads of caramel and dark fruits. There is a nice burnt wood finish which lingers lightly. The whiskey is pretty faint in the aftertaste. I am a fan of Lagavulin, so this is a huge treat for me.

2010 vintage courtesy of starrdogg at last night’s barrel-aged barleywine tasting. Served in a SAVOR snifter. Pours a bright, clear copper color with a bit of an orange tint to it. Slight head and a few bubbles before falling into a thin collar. The nose carries quite a bit of whiskey character that is quite divergent from the typical American bourbon. I don’t know too much about spirits, but the difference is noticeable, especially when contrasted with all the bourbon-barrel beers we had. Nothing too complex, and the barrel brings quite a bit of peat character without the caramel malt that is standard for the style and for the base beer. Very woody. Flavor is similarly quite peaty and harsh with much of anything from the underlying beer coming through. Bitter and slightly astringent in the finish. Overall, not very impressed with this; I enjoy the regular version much, much more.

A 2008 bottle enjoyed in August 2011 - Deep orange and still with a slight lacing to it. A thick and fruity nose with tingles of heat and caramel malt. The Lagavulin is surprisingly subdued here. Beautifully delicate with golden raisin and apricot fruitiness drenched in brown sugar caramel slowly drifting to sweetly peaty whisky and a little heat in the back of the throat. Something a little herbal rears its head occasionally. Smooth and light as a baby’s breath. I’ve had better scotch barrel aged but none more drinkable or quaintly interesting OR mellow. This has aged spectacularly.

Pours a brownish tinged amber with very little head, as seems common among some barley wines. Flavors are strong, alcohol and caramel, with the Lagavulin as almost a whisper in the nose and in the finish.

Bottle split with mcberko. Pours a cloudy rich brown with an orange tinge and virtually no head. Lots of visible sediment. Aroma of sweet whiskey, wood, almost some sherry, peat, candied sugar, toffee. Flavour is really woody and earthy, some smoke and whiskey. Backed well by the candied fruits and toffee. Sweetness would be cloying if it wasn’t for the wooden/smoked finish. A really nice slow-sipper, complex but possibly a little too much on the sweet side to give it a higher rating.

275mL bottle from 2009, split with Matts_Property, pours an opaque orangey amber with no head and lots of sediment. Quite the peaty / smokey aroma, as lots of the Lagavulin barrel quality comes through, with more buried notes of candied sugar and toffee. The sweetness comes through a lot more on the flavour, with lots of candy, caramelized sugar, toffee, etc. only slightly being countered by the smokey whiskey character. The sweetness and smokiness aren’t meshed together exceedingly well, though this is enjoyable nonetheless.

Bottle shared by BrewEngineer at Butters Slutfest 2.0, Richmond, VA, 4.23.11. 2009 vintage. Pours a hazy copper color with a thin creamy head. Decent head retention and lacing. Big smoky notes in the aroma along with some peat, fruity notes, caramel and tea. The taste is sweet caramel and fairly strong smoky notes. Comes across much like a honey barbecue sauce. A dry ashy finish. Medium-full bodied. Interesting.

275ml bottle, 2007 release. Light amber color with a small white head and chunky sediment which looks to be protein since this isn’t bottle conditioned. Almost looks like sawdust soup. Big peaty whisky aroma with lots of sweet biscuity malt underneath and some dried fruit and honey. The wood is also pretty forward, but it’s hard to really differentiate it from the whisky itself. Big peat flavor with a thick and fruity malt sweetness and body. Hops are mellow and there’s just a little drying alcohol in the finish. Pretty mellow on the whole and alcohol doesn’t get hot or distracting. This has also aged well and is in good share except for the appearance. I tend to not like overt peat character in beer, especially directly from peated malt, and this is no exception. I like it in whisky, but something about how it mixes with the sweetness in beer is somewhat off-putting. Fun to try but not something I would enjoy a whole bottle of.