 Beerlando (1135), Orlando, Florida, USA
May 7, 2008
Pours a thick looking, inky chocolate brown to virtually black color. A frothy, cream colored head settles to a thin film with a prominent, bubbly edge. Random patches and splatterings of lace mark the glass. The nose shows dark chocolate, caramel, sweet peaty smoke, dry whiskey, and some earthy hop character. At this point, I can’t believe how much better this smells than the 12 year. The first sip is nearly mind blowing, as the balance is damn near perfect, a stark contrast to the 12 year version, which was far more harsh. Sweet and bitter dark chocolates lay the base, while soft peat and smooth whiskey add perfectly subtle compliments. There’s a lactic creaminess that goes incredibly well with the dry smokiness. The body is medium-full and silky smooth, finishing slightly dry and chalky, with lingering peat on the tongue. This is a flat-out awesome brew. I can’t believe how much better this is than the 12. A chocolate and scotch lover’s dream.
PhillyBeer2112 (1814), Orange Park, Florida, USA
Jul 17, 2008 I was expecting a bit more from this. Poured very dark, not quite opaque, with no head and light carbonation. Aroma was oaky, touched with roast, smoke and a little chocolate or blackstrap molasses. Not much actual whiskey to the nose or flavor, just oaky from the barrel, and maybe just a tinge of vanilla. Palate was semi-dry with a dry-roasted finish.
dalekliz (133), San Diego, California, USA
Jul 16, 2008 Bottle, thanks to WeeHeavySD for sharing. Pours a deep dark reddish-brown with a small tan head. Smoky malt aroma. The taste is sweet, smoky, and toasty, of malt, wood, smoke, and scotch. Lingering smoky scotch taste. Really tasty.
Indra (1815), Prairie Village, Kansas, USA
Jul 12, 2008 330ml bottle. Mildy sweet, fudgy chocolate aroma, very lightly smoky, earthy and peaty, with faint tobacco and raisin. Solid ebony color with a hint of brown showing around the edges, and a very fine, slight head. Flavor is predominantly roasty and sweet to start, dark chocolate character in abundance, turning lightly bitter and showing hints of old wood before finishing with lingering, darkly sugary, nutty tones of whisky and toffee. Mouthfeel is very gently acidic and smooth, lightly coating and ultimately drying, with a full, almost syrupy body. Some late warmth. Really rather subtle, particularly for it being a barrel-aged beer of its heft.
WeeHeavySD (1539), San Diego (Hillcrest), California, USA
Jul 11, 2008 12oz from the PP Bottle Shop. Shared wtih my gf cyn and dalekliz. Pours black with a 1 finger tan head. Nose is extremely rich and very malty. Taste is very aggressive, extremely bold and adds a big old kick. Nice beer, with a lot of oomph.
Sammy (2959), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Jul 10, 2008 Second in the series. Pours dark with a bit of initial head. Compared to the 12 year: More rich whiskey aroma. More ageing. Less chocolate. More moutheel from what’s going on, but that’s astringency too. A bit of richness, but also more whiskey, more drying. May have liked the 12 better at the same abv.
|
