Orkney Dark Island (Bottle)

500ml bottle. Shaker glass. Pitch black with a thin tan head. Aroma was of sweet smokey malt. Taste was smokey roast malt with a hint of coffee. The mouthfeel was a bit thin.

Bottle sampled. Pours a dark brown with a 1 finger tan head. Aroma of toffee, roasted malts, smoke and a hint of chocolate. Flavor is rich and smooth with caramel malts, smoke and some spice notes. A very good old ale

A beautiful black pour with a little white head. Strong chocolate and malt aroma. Intial taste is fairly light, but the after taste is a very strong smoky taste. A definate must try.

Black pour. Contrasting thin off-white head. Toasted malt and chocolate aroma. Big smoke flavor on the front with cloves following. Dry finish. Different and interesting.

A Sim rate (bottle from Whole Foods): Spicy aroma of cloves, toffee and red wine. Rich and tasty. Roasted malt flavour with a chocolate coffee finish. Just my sort of thing. Ah... the coffee is still lingering. I love it. Very nearly opaque with a tinge of translucent mahogany.

500 ml bottle poured a clear very dark brown with a large lasting creamy tan head. Aromas of dark bread, toasted malt, roastiness, light carmel and a hiny of dark fruit. Palate was full bodied and smooth. Flavors of bitter chocolate, smoke, roastiness, light carmel and a faint hint of dark fruit with a smooth lingering bitter finish.

Bottle at the MicroBar in Clapham (London), dark brown with a bubbly tan head. A bitter coffee aroma, slight molasses touch. Smooth mouthfeel, a light sweet flavour of coffee and toffee.

Bottle. Tulip. Nearly pitch black pour with tan head. Very faint aroma that leaves impressions of smoked chipotle and chocoalte. Tastes of malt, deep wood smokiness and sweet coffee/chocolate. Heavy mouth feel, but not a ’big beer.’ Decent.