Orkney Dark Island (Bottle)

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

This is the fifth beer in our June 11th Old Ale Blind Tasting. It finished in 9th place.

Pours dark brown with lasting mocha head. The aroma has a nice smoke component but the rest of it is tough to pin down. I get licorice and caramel mixed together with faint maple smoke house bacon. The taste enters kind of thin with some faint smoke followed by mild notes of wood, malty sweetness, caramel, a decent level of dark fruity esters and some earthy tasting licorice. Sessionable smooth and light for the style.

Bottle courtesy Ibrew2or3. Pours dark brown with a one finger tan head that leaves good lacing. Aroma is slightly smokey with a hint of caramel and chocolate. Taste is the same as aroma. Thin mouthfeel with a mild amount of bitterness. Decent.

Bottle from Total Wine. Pours a dark brown body with no head and round webs of tan lace. Pleasant aroma of chocolate candies. Flavors are roasty malt notes, chocolate, licorice, toffee, subtle hints of coffee. I didn’t get any of the smokiness other raters are experiencing. The medium body is surprising considering the color of the beer. Medium carbonation as well. Very smooth and easy drinking.

Black colour, tan-coloured small head. Aroma has malts and licorice. Flavour is malty, chocolate and lemonade. Not my style. Rerate: aroma has roasted malts and chocolate. Flavour has sour fruits. +0.6

This ale has a raison nose with a hint of olive. The taste though is quite different, being overly smokey. The mouthfeel was nice but the smokiness was just too overwhelming.

500 ml bottle courtesy of a trade with SoLan. Pours dark brown with a moderate off-white head that lasted until mid-glass and left light lace. Very light aroma of malt and not much else. The flavor was quite different and very enjoyable with lightly sweet malt up front followed by smoke. Thin mouthfeel and the finish is very short-lived.

Dark brown with a small, off-white head. Fruity aroma with a touch of chocolate. Dry, malty flavour with some chocolate character.

Hop malt aroma with a hint of light roasted chocolate. Dark brown colour with fair head and lacing. Bitter malt flavour with a light chocholatey aftertaste. Smooth palate but a bit thin.