“The cold winter nights have arrived and so has our new Rare Breed Barrel Aged Blended Porter! Aged in rum barrels, this porter is rich and full-bodied, with deep malt aromas, and delicious chocolate and rum flavours.”

Glassware: Snifter.

Appearance: Black with very faint deep ruby red breaking through at the foot of the glass. It forms a big three finger head which holds up. Excellent lacing as it ebbs.

Aroma: To be honest we weren’t quite sure what to expect but expect a nose full of slightly sweet and spicy rum, dark fruits i.e raisin/dates/cherry, chocolate, subtle oak, cola, hints of vanilla and lightly burnt caramel and toffee. Nicely poised yet with good depth and complexity.

Flavour: Interesting. It’s a real tussle between the traditional Porter notes and the rum barrels. The upside to this is the superb balance they’ve struck. Beautifully fused flavours of chocolate, coffee, spiced rum, caramel, oak, vanilla and dark fruits with a nice toasty finish.

Mouthfeel: The only thing letting it down is the slightly lean texture. Although they’ve hidden the 9% ABV well. Plus the Co2 is spot on.

Overall: It’s strongest attribute is the dangerous drinkability…it’s so smooth and palatable for its size. The weakness is the thin-ish texture and lack of oomph. Jeez we’re hard to please!