Orkney Dark Island (Bottle)

Brewed by Orkney (Sinclair Breweries)
Style: Old Ale
Stromness, Orkney, Highlands & Islands, Scotland

Bottle, 4.6%. Papery, sour, roasted, and vinous aroma. Almost black colour, red shine. Small light brown head. The flavour is mostly roasted, slightly smokey. There is a lot of cream to it along with a little vinousness. Thin mouthfeel, could use some oats or something.

From Skjold Burne, Aarhus, DK. Bottled. Dark brown with a red shade. Aroma of malt and fruit. Flavor of roasted malt, chocolate and red berries

pours opaque with a ruby tint, small khaki head, good lacing.
smell of malt, touch of citrus, cocoa, roastiness.
taste is tart, dark chocolate, sour malt, some licorice, some vanilla, touch of woodiness.

50 cL bottle. Pours dark brown with a golen amber glare and a light tan head. Light dark fruity aroma and mild malty aroma. Flavour is roasted mild and mild smoked. Smooth and roasted acidic at once. A bit thin bodied. Light smoked note into the finish.

Taste 7/8 Bottle (Best by 1/9). Looks: Black purple with mild lace. Smell: Sweet, grape, sticky, grain, Choc and espresso. Taste: Thin to medium bodied. Espresso, roast, grape, floral. Mild hops spice. A little earthy. Good.

Bottle, Tesco, Helensburgh. Poured a very deep dark brown with a tan head Aroma of roasty malt, nuts, hop, cinnamon, fig. Flavour was nutty, dark chocolate and malty with a great toasty coffee, and brown sugar finish. Really well balanced. Not quite up to the cask version but still good.

500ml bottle. Dark brown with little head. Smooth on the tongue but a little thin. I put "as described on bottle" for flavour and aroma, but I’ve chucked the bottle! Notes say it needs a bit more character and it certainly wasn’t outstanding.

Appearance: Very dark brown. Nice head, not longlasting. Aroma: Fruity. Blackcurrant. Malt. Taste: Pretty malty. Burnt. Fruity. Info: 500ml bottle, 19/4-2006, 104/300