Orkney Skull Splitter (Bottle)

Brewed by Orkney (Sinclair Breweries)
Style: Barley Wine
Stromness, Orkney, Highlands & Islands, Scotland

(Bottle, Monk’s Café, Stockholm) Dark reddish brown colour with firm beige head. Malty nose with notes of dark fruit (raisins, dried apricots), slightly vinous. Malty taste with dark fruit, cherries, prunes, raisins and hints of brown sugar (but drier than one might expect). Medium to full body, but smooth mouthfeel. A bit more balanced than the cask conditioned version, but probably not as bold. Warming and tasty.

Pours a dark copper/brown color with a light tan head. Aroma is of caramel malts, plenty of raisons and plums, toffee, and alcohol. Lots of raison flavor with caramel, toffee, and some alcohol on the finish. Finishes dry with some alcohol warming. A good barley wine that I’m sure to have again.

Pours a dark reddish brown color with a thin white head. Has a strong aroma of fruits and malts. Has a real fruity taste and finish as well. Not much carbonation, but finishes nice with a fruit and malt aftertaste.

Dark brown with a thin head.. Sweet, malty aroma and palate. Caramel, peat and some raisins.Very nice.

In the bottle from Cyclone Liquors. This is simply not my definition of barleywine. It’s a decent strong ale, but a stretch for any category of barleywine. Chestnut in color with a beige head. leaves fine lacing patterns. The aroma is biscuity. Perhaps gingerbread cookies baking in the oven? There’s a slight cabbage scent upon warming. The flavor is sweet and malty at first, then you get a strong blast of unbalanced alcohol. It finishes too chalky on the roof of my mouth. Perhaps this is my lowest barleywine rating ever?

Mmm, nice fruity aroma, tiny head, smokey/Fruity taste with hints of apples, mild aftertaste, easy on the palate and I could certainly drink a few in a row, will buy again

Bottle: Dark, bright red body with an attractive head. Beauty, eh? Alcohol, sweet malt, apple, woodsy, hops and orange meringue aromas all appear. A little underwhelming, but complex. In the mouth, this beer starts out with a muted sweetness, then a smooth floral aspect takes over until the alcohol hits with sweetness, fruity esters. Finishes spicy, fruity, and long. Body was a little weak, but this beer had a very soft, pillow-like mouthfeel.

Bottle. Nose is caramel and mild citrus notes. Nice complex sweetness. The color is deep amber with a thick brownish head, strong lacing. Flavor is primarily caramel, but very well balanced. Lots of dark fruit notes and a tinge of alcohol. Palate is smooth. Nice BW.