Traquair The Lairds Liquor

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

Bottle: Deep brown with a dense off-white head. Roasted malts accompanied by bruised foliage and some eucalyptus in the aroma. Dark and sweet on the tongue with tingly menthol effects that build up as you drink it. The finish is lingering and nasal. Great to finish an evening, especially a winter one.

Bottle, from trade with faroeviking. A dark brown, clear beer with a fingerthick beige head. Dried fruits and oxidation on the nose. Also a touch of licorice, some roasted malt and maybe some peat. Full-bodied with some carbonation. Cocoa, dried fruits, roasted malt, some salty licorice and oxidation in the flavor. Quite complex, and the oxidation is just pleasant. Somehow it feels sugary in the mouth, but it’s more on the dry side. Some sourness detected too. The finish has a good load of cocoa, salty licorice and roasted malt. As it warms up, more layers of aroma and flavor shows up, revealing coffee, a mild bitterness, a touch of alcohol and some vinous qualities. The bottle I had was 16 months past BB-date, but was still delicious. Really a lairds liquor. (080925)

Bottled thanks to Mark! Poured clear ruddy brown with a short-lived cap of beige head. The aroma picked up rich, toasted and lightly smoked dark fruits and licorice with glancing notes of herbal hoppage.. brighter spicy impressions too.. really enjoyed this! The flavor opened with tangy darker spices and dark fruit skin sourness on the tip of the tongue, opening into burnt cocoa and licorice at the core.. herbal and lightly medicinal accents and a dry, somewhat empty finish. Medium-bodied with low carbonation on the palate.. a bit dry.. sourness wasn’t quite right in a couple places, but still OK overall.

Bottle from 2006. Courtesy of faroeviking. Pours brown with a fine white head. Malty caramel like aroma with some port notes. Flavour is a sweet maltyness together with caramel, toffee, smoke and dark fruits. A very well made beer.

Courtesy TheCheeseMan. Dark brown color with a sparse off-white head. General sweet character, light apricot aroma, very light English hop profile. Real light fruity malt sweetness and earthy English hops. Pretty basic flavors for an old ale.

Bottle… Murky, dark, burnt orange ale with a small, white head. Butterscotch, caramel and toffee nose. Full-bodied and creamy with laid-back carbonation. Full flavored. Moderately sweet, lightly bitter. Chocolate and nuts. Finishes sweet and caramelly. Thanks to TheCheeseMan for sharing the bottle!

Courtesy TheCheeseman. Pours a dark maroon with no head whatsoever, typical of old ales. Smells pretty fruity, with a heavy malt presence filling the air. Got traces of vanilla and caramel in the flavor along with more toned down dark fruits. Molasses and grapes come to mind. A bit mild overall, but thats typical in some old ales. I can appreciate it for what it is. Intersting to drink.

Pours a murky brown. Not much going on with the aroma, some malt note, some caramel, but not much else. Flavor is a touch boring, not much else.