BrewDog Paradox Speyside (Batch 010)

Brewed by BrewDog
Style: Imperial Stout
Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

11.2oz bottle, courtesy of argo0. Thanks, Aaron! We did a side-by-side of four of these (Islay 009, Speyside 010, Macallan 011, Glen Grant 003), and they looked nearly identical: dark, murky brown color; thin, light-tan head with fine-bubbled lacing. Loads of intense candy sugar, dried dark fruits, and caramel in the aroma; stout beneath is much more apparent in this one than the Islay 009; chewy and pleasant. Relaxed carbonation. Loads of chewy dried dark fruits (raisins, dates), caramel, and sweet red fruits; medium-to-full mouthfeel: like a barley wine more than an imperial stout; very chewy, generous, with lightly toasted malts and very light barrel / scotch character. Minimal, at least following the Islay. Lengthy finish: toasted malts, very dry, with lots of dates and raisins.

Bottle (RBESG 08): Almost black with a small foamy beige layer; leather and liquorice in the nose, mixed with aromas of vanilla and wood; full bitter-sweet flavour; some smoke and vanilla, again, in the warming finish. O.K. .....

Bottle courtesy of growler. Pours black/brown with minimal head. Aromas of burnt malt, whisky, wood and alcohol. Flavors similar to aroma with some peat and the whisky comes through nicely. Full body with minimal carbonation and a smooth mouthfeel. Very enjoyable.

Courtesy Growler. Pours dark brown/black, with a small off white head. Smells a little bready, with good doses of whiskey, caramel, and butterscotch. The flavor is of peaty malt, some caramel and roasty malts also shine through. Toasted bitter chocolate and syrup show up in the nice long finish. A little mellowed, but the heat was definitelt there. Not as big as some of the others Ive tried, but you get more of the flavor showing up in this batch. Pretty tasty.

12oz bottle from Growler. Big scotch nose with chocolate, raisins and vanilla. Reddish brown color. Flavor is big chewy malts upfront with complex scotch finish. A little smoke, and some caramel with a light cherry and vanilla finish. Much more upfront than the Glen Grant and I think a better brew overall. Very nice.

Pours a dark and translucent mahogany brown color with a small, bubbly, tan colored edge. Minimal, spotty lacing rejoins the body. The aroma shows a chocolate and caramel malt base, with notes of long-since dried dark fruits and a kiss of peaty, smoky whiskey. Flavors reveal more choco-caramel, a good dose of vanilla, molasses, and permeating, woody whiskey. The alcoholic heat runs about average for the Paradox series, which is formidable, to say the least, but I believe that is what they are going for here. The mouthfeel runs a little thin for the style, but is indeed silky smooth and lowly carbonated, as it should be. Overall, a very enjoyable brew. Par for the Paradox course.

(Bottle) Pours black. The aroma is fat malty with a medium roasted character of dark bread, coffee and dark chocolate alongside some mild woody and whisky-like notes. The flavour is medium to heavily roasted with notes of coffee, dark bread and dark chocolate. Whisky and wood is also present. The mouthfeel is fat and soft with a light oily touch. Medium bitter with a medium body.

A Mes rate: Bottle that my lovely Mrs picked up from OddBins.
Pitch black and opaque with a thin tan head. Roasted malt aroma with chocolate and blackcurrant. Slight whisky but not over powering. Once in my mouth the whisky and the Riptide just never quite gel. The base is clearly the same, lovely imperial stout but the whisky just feels a little unrefined and, dare I say it, cheap. Certainly not as good as some of the other Paradoxes. Still a decent beer though. Lovely soft palate and typically brilliant alcohol hidage until you get an obvious belly glow. Good but not a show stopper.