BrewDog Paradox Islay (Batch 001)

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

Had batch 006 at the Leicester CAMRA festival, March 2008. As a lover of imperial stouts and islay whisky i was looking forward to this. I was not disappointed!

Bottle from stall at Taste of Edinburgh. Damm this rocks! for a islay whisky fan this is as close to perfect as a beer gets! Initial aroma dominated by smoke and peat. Initial palate stout flavour shines through - coffee, chocolate, vanilla and liquorice. Then halfway through the beer flips completely - all the smoke in the aroma comes through along with the whisky flavours. Very well rounded silky smooth body with alcohol really masked. Cant wait to drink another bottle - try it!

WOW! A pure Smoke Bomb!! Boght at Grampian food Market. The most intense beer I have ever taseted!

[Bottle from Tom via brewer, cheers] Pours deep brown, almost black with a thick, tan head. The nose on this is fantastic, first notes of smoke and peat, then a rich maltyness with some coffeeish nuances, medicinal phenolic notes and some oak, really complex. Full body, touch of sweetness upfront leads to a dryfinish where the oak becomes a lot more pronounced, alcohol really well concealed. Wonderful stuff.

Bottled (huge thanks to magic_dave6!). Dark brown colour, amost black, with a big mediumsized creamy beige head. A lot of Islay smoked hints in the aroma along with the allround whiskyishness. Flavour is quite the same with some vanilla, dark chocolate, roasted malts and slight bittery notes. Truely an amazing Imperial Stout. Guess I’m a lucky punk still having a bottle of it in my cellar... Damned near perfection!

I love Caol Ila Scotch, so the thought of the possibilities at hand elicits great excitement. A gentle pour is rolls from the bottle opaque black with a deep chestnut-hued perimeter. An energetic, creamy and very slowly diminishing tan head is medium-sized and laces quite heavily. The head never fully recedes and introduces each sip with a soft foamy prelude. My first thought upon the arrival of the first inhalation is one of wonderment, followed by a deep breath of relief. It’s startling how immediately wonderful and complex this nose is. The Islay whiskey components are unmistakeable. The brewer’s skill is almost tangible. The roasted grains and bold - but not overzealous - chocolate and coffee are invigorating. Alcohol is quite apparent, but there is so much amazing Scotch barrel character it’s nearly impossible to distinguish between fusels and all of the amazing intricacies that make the Islay regions whiskey offerings so admirable and arresting. Scotch-drenched wood notes are the most prevalent, startling as they leap from the glass. Peat, salty ocean air and clever smoke waft upward and totally envelope the awe-inspiring roasted malt. Coffee couldn’t seem any fresher. Chocolate is lightly bitter and resembles pure, unrefined cocoa from the Dutch coastlines’ many independent chocolatiers. Tar and iodine captivate me - I can’t imagine someone who doesn’t adore Islay whiskies enjoying this - but it suits my desires as well as could have been hoped for. Wave after wave of blasts of wood erupt into an all-out frenzied attack on the senses. This isn’t understated by any means, but everything is so seemlessly integrated that the slightest divulging of a subtle nuance is easy to pick up on as soon as it peeks from the black depths. Mild vanilla and char notes conclude the offering. The flavor is initially roasty, then it’s folowed up by more saltiness than I’ve experienced outside of the shadowy realm of the Gose style. Roasted malt endures, but is attacked from all sides by barrel characteristics. Peat is medium, smoke mild to medium. Sweetness is low to mild and swirls about angrily, like it’s part of a seaside defense against a raging Scottish army that came by boat in the foggy morning. Chocolate is bittersweet and accellerates a mild bitterness from grassy hops and smoke that’s beginning to churn in acrid circles atop the tongue. Vanilla is joined by light herbal tastes, furthering a grassy and earthy foray. Roast fades slowly at the conclusion of each sip, leaving salt and wood behind. The finish is highly salty, lightly bitter, lightly sweet and slowly drying. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and doesn’t feel very structured, though the resulting sensations on the palate are nothing but smooth and soft, with a bit of a spicy interlude scattered here and there. Carbonation is excellent even if it’s too sporadically placed within the gooey liquid. Marvelous. Groundbreaking. Probably far too much for a palate that doesn’t enjoy a dram of the really spicy, medicinal seaside whiskies. I love it!

A dark brown color with faint head. spectacular peat aroma with faint hints of chocolate. Peat peat and a little more peat dominate the malty body. A little saltiness in the finish. Very nice.

Bottle, batch 006. Gorgeous blackish pour, no head other than a fine brown patina of bubbles. Amazing aroma of smoke (like corkboard), leather, whiskey, and peat. Rich burnt malt, chocolatey, smokey, peaty, but then a sweetness reveals itself mid-palate that lifts everything up and adds a slightly fruity element. The finish is long and bitter, and the alcohol is completely unobtrusive and nearly undetectable. Despite the size of this brew, it is compulsively drinakble. Truly outstanding!