BrewDog Paradox Islay (Batch 001)

Formerly brewed at BrewDog
Style: Imperial Stout
Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Bottle. a Black beer with a small beige head. The aroma and taste is of roasted malt and smoked whisky. Medium body with a sweet dry smoked finish.

A Mes rate: 33cl bottle from Tom during the Weekend of Tarts. Dark red / brown colour with a tan head. Amazing peat whiskey nose that boarders on the o.t.t. Flavour is similar with glorious smoky old oak barrel notes and obvious peaty whiskey. Clear alcohol but in a lip smackingly good ’this could get me shitfaced’ type way. I love imperial stouts, I love good whiskey and I’m in luck, they go together really well here. Excellent stuff. Thanks again Tom. Very much looking forward to the next versions of this in the other barrels.

Bottle @ tasting at my place.
[thanks to mum and dad for bringing this home from Scotland]
Pours a deep black with a small creamy beige head. Good lacing. Aroma is woody, medicine, smoke. Creamy and low carbonation. Flavour is quite mild, lightly smoky and lots of peitiness. Far too one-sided. Vinious and powerful. The 002 is far superior.

(Bottle, Batch 001) Pours a dark brown body with a small beige head. Aroma of peat, sausage, roasted malt, dust, black pepper, and salty. Flavor of roasted malt, peaty scotch, wood, ash, and bitter dark chocolate.

12oz bottle. Poured a dark brown with red edges and an averaged sized off white head. Aromas of peat, earthy, smoke meat, chocolate, and some whiskey. Tastes of some whiskey, vanilla, chocolate, lighter earthiness, woody, and roasty. Some lacing left on the glass.

Considering the style, Scores ranging from 1 to 5, 5 being the most intense
Appearance:
Body:   Clear(1)->Murky(5) : 4     Light Brown(1)->Pitch Black(5) : 3     Still(1)->Sparkling(5) : 2
Head:   None(1)->Large(5) : 2   Off-White(1)->Dark Brown(5) : 2   Lasting: 2   Lacing : 2   Nitro : XX
Aroma:
Intensity : 4  
Yeast : 2   Bread : 2   Apple : XX   Tropical Fruits : XX   Ink : XX   Tar : XX   Olives : XX   DMS : XX
Malt : 3   Biscuity : XX   Burnt Toast : XX   Caramel : 2   Nuts : XX   Pumpernickel : XX   Cereals : 3   Coffee : XX   Dark Chocolate : XX   Vanilla : 3   Grapes : XX   Blackberries : 2   Cherries : XX
Hops : 1   Noble(1)->American(5) : 1   Leafy : XX   Floral : XX   Lemon/Lime : XX   Grapefruit : XX Orange : XX   Herbal : XX   Pine/Spruce/Resin : XX
Notes :   Earth : 3   Wood : XX   Mint : XX   Smoke : 5   Soy : 2   Bourbon : 5   Anise : XX
Flavor:
Initial Flavor : Dry(1)->Sweet(5) : 4   Finish Dry(1)->Sweet(5) : 4   Sourness : 1   Lactic : XX   Bitterness : 1   Complex : XX   Length : XX
Palate:
Light(1)->Full(5) : 2   Flat(1)->Fizzy(5) : 3   Clean : XX   Sharp : 3   Watery : XX   Oily : 2   Chalk : XX   Astringent : XX   Alcohol : 4   Mineral : 2   Oxidation : 3   Metallic : XX

Comments: Huge iodine smell with sea salt, thick peatiness, tar, peach… Thin-bodied for an imperial stout, obviously eaten up by its barrel sojourn. So straight up whisky and little beer left. I’d rather drink a scotch if I were looking for those flavours, but then again, at 3 quids a bottle, I should not be complaining.

This is not my style of beer people must realise and it took me 2 brandy snifters full of the stuff for me to rate it. Aroma is peaty, grainy malts, toffee, chocolate coffee, big whisky nose, theres a seriously big deal goin on in this glass wither you like it or not. Taste is distinctive islay whiskey, grainy malts again, alcohol well hidden, medium body making it silly drinkable, long finish, dry balanced. Iv then written a good alround effort which was perhaps refering to the late nite poker rather than the stupidly good beer i was drinking at the time. RERATE: Just as good, hints of wood the whiskey is becoming more palateable. Rerate: Complex enough but too roasty and medicinal. RERATE from cask at Paisley beer fest, the first time i tried it. OMG i hate to see what the amaricns will make of this, an imp stout barrel aged for 3-12 months in an islay cask, its like super peaty, not really my deal, i like ardbeg and lagavulin, but the others arnt really my bag. Gareth loved this and i can see why but its like ombloody fuck, its the most intence thing thats hit my tougue, i reccoment bottling and shipping to show what these guys can o, my god they know what they’re doing!(2.7) RERATE: Bottled, too rich and iodine to find this nplesent anymore. Pritty sore to drink.

Bottled: Very similar in appearance and aroma to the other Islay batches with similar rich smoky peaty flavor and good dark chocolate and caramel malty notes. Incredibly drinkable given its complexity. A nice and flavorful beer, regardless of the batch number.