Traquair Jacobite Ale

Brewed by Traquair
Style: Traditional Ale
Innerleithen, Borders, Scotland

Rated 2/11/07: Coffee colored pour, mild head that dwindled down leaving little lacing. Rich aroma with some smoked roasted malt and spicy coriander. Rich and filling mouthfeel, smooth finish with a very slight alcohol note. Very interesting flavor, addictive and intriquing. Burnt flavors with some notes of maple and black licorice. The coriander is very noticeable and boy does it work well in this ale. A mild smoke flavor is present as in the aroma. Nice bitterness to counter the spice. Alcohol is well hidden. Very enjoyable.

330 ml Bottle. Purchased at Blue Max Liquors in Burnsville, MN. Best before date is June 2011. Based on the best by dates of recent reviews, I believe this one may be at least 5 years in age. Pour is a murky brown and red with only a slight soapy head. Aroma is very malty, quite strong. I get a bit of earthiness in the nose as well. Taste is real big, with a BIG malt presence, fruit (dates, raisins) and burnt sugar. It has a very nice "booziness" to it. Not that it has a bunch of alcohol in the taste, just that it has the texture and silkiness of some whiskys I have had. A really nice finish on this one. At the very end, detected some roast and smoke. Complexity is revealed with the range of flavors in this as it warms. Agree with previous reviews, not real sure if I could sense the coriander listed on the label.

Bottle. I tried feeling the coriander, and I didn’t find it in the aroma. I even took some spices from the kitchen to be able to compare, and ginger and cardmon are quite noticable in this one. Dark colour, small disappearing head. Nice and foamy, silky on the palate. Taste sparklingly dry, but nothing that speciall really. Quite short finish, was expecting more.

Bottle at home. Wow. This is another excellent Scottish ale, very enjoyable. Black colour with tan foam. Strong, dark and spicy, with tastes of chocolate, caramel, coffee, toffee, raisins, honey and bread. Very malty with spicy finish.

Bottle picked up from Evesham farm shop, 28-05-07, best before date of May 2016. Poured very dark in colour with beige head, aroma’s were spicey, warming alcohol, and some burnt notes along with the taste I really thought that I was in Belgium what a stunner. The taste was smooth, retsrained but amazingly complex, dark fruits, burnt sugars, cherry, warming alcohol again, spices, great malts, wonderful smooth creaminess, what a beer, fantastic.

Dark mahogany murky body, long lasting head, not much lacing. Fruity and spicy aroma, cherries upfront, deep and malty with nice hops in the background. Some aniseed, some liqourice, some vanilla and caramel too. Malty taste, with liqourice, dark sugar, some cherry, and a strong yeastiness. Surprisingly light on the palate, with low carbonation. Quite good.

Well, well, well. This really is a cheeky little specimen. Inky pour with ruby tints and a halo of beige suds. Big, distinctly Belgian snout humming of liquorice, honey, coriander and strawberryish hops. Smooth, roasty, spicy and hoppy. Black pepper and vanilla. A complex beer skillfully juggling an array of flavours. Echoes of Barbar Dunkel and Tripel Karmeliet. Silkily honeyish and medicinal with a gently roasty, liquorice-accented finish. Some marmite yeastiness in the aftertaste. Not to mention a great big glug of spice. Lovely stuff.

Bottle. Red brown / black colour with a beige head. Aroma is licorice, burned, sweet, coffee, alcohol. Flavour is licorice, burned, sweet, coffee, alcohol, spices. Very nice beer.