J.W. Lees Harvest Ale (Lagavulin)

A dark orange beer with a disappearing beige head. The aroma is slightly smoked and with notes of whiskey. The flavor is sweet with notes of whiskey and peach and with hints of smoke. The end is slightly woody and the alcohol burns the tongue slightly.

(Bottle 27,5 cl) Courtesy of boboski. Pours a slightly hazy dark amber with a small rough off white head. Distinct aroma of smoke and tar. Full-bodied with a low carbonation. Flavours of sweet caramel and vanilla, smoke, tar and tobacco. No bitterness. Of the four barrelled J.W. Lees I think the Lagavulin version offers more resistance to the extreme sweetness of the base beer. 200608

27.5 cL bottle. Pours hazy deep orange with a lacing off-white head. Dense malt aroma and solid fruity but also smoked. Flavour is dry and light smoked. Once again extremely sweet caramel malt. Dense smoked flavour into the sweet finish.

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
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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
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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

2004 bottle. Muddy looking, flat, light chestnut. Sweet brown sugar nose but a little oxidized with peat smoke accents. Burly peat up front, then rich brown sugary decadence. Finishes peaty, sweet, alcoholic and a little woody. Lots of fun, but not much nuance. The two characters are not as cohesive as I’d like them to be.

Great thanks to Papsoe for sharing!
Hazy dark amber color. Sweet smokey malt aroma. It has a full mouthfeel, with full malt flavor, very sweet, classic English Barley Wine, with minimum bitterness. Almost syrupy at the end, but luckily there is some more caramel and bitterness, and a light smokey touch. It’s the most intriguing of the 4 special editions. Excellent.

(2003 bottle) Sparkling clear amber topped by medium off-white head. Aroma is medium sweet, butterscotch, some whisky, light oak. Taste is quite sweet, butterscotch, some peat/smoke. The finish is the highlight, with its light smoky alcohol burn. Syrupy full body. Clearly a sipping beer, but a bit too sweet for my taste.

Bottle, St Albans Beer Festival 2005. The last of the 4 offerings from Duff for the festival. Sherry flavours with smokey, whiskey sweetness. Goodish sweet whiskey style barley wine