RateBeer
   Home Sign Up or Login Advanced Search
   People Ratings Events Places Forums Shop Magazine
      Top By Category  RateBeer Best  Latest Ratings  Top 50    

Home > Brewers > Scotland > Orkney (Sinclair Breweries) >

Orkney Dark Island Reserve

Orkney Dark Island Reserve

* picture credits
copyright may apply

 Percentile 
98
overall
A Barley Wine brewed by
Orkney (Sinclair Breweries)

Stromness, Orkney, Highlands & Islands, Scotland

bottled
common

on tap
unknown

Broad Distribution
Find this beer

Add Distribution Data
Send Corrections

 Ratings  Average  Score  ABV  Style Pctl  Serve in  Advanced 
1163.91/5.03.9/5.010%88.3Snifter P  Stats

Commercial Description:
Bottled, Filtered, Special;
Dark Island Reserve is a strong and full Orcadian Ale - lagered for 3 month in old Dalmore whiskey oakbarrals. This slow proscess makes a classic - a fruity, spiced, oakroasted maltflavour.

Most RecentTop RatersHighest Ratings Who's Rated This?
 WeeHeavySD (1866), San Diego (Hillcrest), California, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/516/20
Sep 11, 2008  
Pricey 750 I’ve had for a while now that I bought at the Pizza Port Bottle Shop. Pours black black black with a 1 finger tan head. Nose is smokey with big roasty chewy malts. Great awesome nose. Taste is chocolaty and roasty and smoky with lots of dark chunky characteristics. Not sure I’d call this a Barleywine by the taste I think its more an old ale or traditional by my measure. Tasty indeed, lots of character, and overall a nice experience. Great mellow vibe, can’t taste the booze. Shared with Dalekliz and my girlfriend Cyn


 chimp_lechamp (372), freehold, New Jersey, USA
4.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
10/104/58/104/518/20
Aug 24, 2008  
bottle- bought at the cave last christmas, vintage 2006. pours dark engine oil with a bit of sparkle. nose is vinous. with notes of butterscotch ans brandy, chocolate complexity. seems to be opening up more as time goes by like a fine wine, toast, and biscuit comes through now.sticky mouthfeel, with a vinous slightly oxidized taste, lingering hints of wood and whisky is definite in finish. dry, and fruity a bit lighter than i imagined. it was meant to be my 10th anniversy drink with my wife, but the bottle opened slightly in the plane ride to norway. and it might have altered the taste of this rating. either way very good stuff.


 lassem (134), Copenhagen, Denmark
2.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
4/103/54/102/510/20
Jul 31, 2008  
Well well well...this wasn´t my cup of tee...but you can surely tell its scotish origins. The colour is deep brown - almost black like soya. The aroma is vinoes and you sense the scient of wood and spicies. The taste was massive and very strong. It was vinoes and sour like vinegar and salty like it was brewed on water from the Northsea. The palate was tame and pale. Not good for me - sorry


MakeItDrinkIt (66), Portland, Oregon, USA
4.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/59/104/518/20
Jul 11, 2008  
Deep black color with a thin brown head. Aroma is chocolate and walnut meats, figs and leather. Flavor is big, bold, walnutty, whisky, chewy chocolate, black strap molasses, figs - WOW! Not too sweet, not bitter - very well balanced. Texture is velvetty smooth on the tongue. A truely lovely beer from Scotland!


 juiceisloose (339), Orlando, Florida, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/59/104/517/20
Jun 28, 2008    Updated: Jul 1, 2008
Courtesy hopscotch, thanks Eric. Pours a dark chocolate brown color with a small foamy tan head. The aroma shows notes of dark chooclate malts, caramel, vanilla, and a touch of smokey whiskey. The aroma is nice and complex on this one. The flavor is really amazing with the dark chocolate and vanilla from the oak dominanting the flavor. The whiskey adds just a touch of smokiness that is integrated seamlessly without ever overpowering. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and very smooth and leads into a warm, smoky finish. This is one well crafted beer and really glad I got to try it.



would you like to read more ratings?



Then join us! RateBeer is made by beer enthusiasts for the craft beer community. Your basic membership is free and allows you to read all beer ratings.

Desired User Name
*


Valid Email (Needed to verify your account)
*

Relax. RateBeer is 100%, guaranteed spam-free. That's our promise to you.

I agree to the terms of the RateBeer User Agreement

RATE THIS BEER

Aroma

rating assistance

Appearance

rating assistance

Flavor

rating assistance

Palate

rating assistance

Overall impression

rating assistance

TOTAL SCORE

Comments

More Barley Wines

Hair of the Dog Dave (4.47)

Lost Abbey The Angels Share (4.27)

Lost Abbey The Angels Share (Bourbon Barrel) (4.25)

North Coast Old Stock Cellar Reserve Brandy Barrel (4.18)

AleSmith Barrel Aged Old Numbskull (4.16)

Stone Bourbon Barrel Old Guardian Barley Wine (4.14)

Three Floyds Behemoth Barleywine (4.11)

Kuhnhenn Bourbon Barrel Barley Wine (4.09)

Barley Johns Barrel-Aged Rosies Ale (Batch 2) (4.07)

21st Amendment Bourbon Barrel Lower da Boom Barleywine (4.06)

More Scotland Brewers

West
  Glasgow
Old Foreigner
  Glenkindie
Traquair
  Innerleithen, Borders
Fowlers
  Prestonpans, Lothians
Windie Goat
  Mauchline, Ayrshire, Strathclyde
Arran
  Isle of Arran, Strathclyde
Highland
  Orkney, Highands & Islands
Houston
  Houston, Renfrewshire
Fyne Ales
  Cairndow, Argyll
Cuillin
  Isle of Skye
Fyfe
  Kirkcaldy, Fife
Broughton
  Biggar, The Borders
An Teallach
  Garve, Highlands & Islands
Inveralmond
  Perth, Perthshire and Kinross

About RateBeer | Add A Beer | Add A Brewer | Edit Personal Info | 100 Beer Club | FAQ | Log out | Feedback? | Copyright 2000-2008, RateBeer LLC