“Aged in Whisky barrel this massive beer has thick, velvety chocolate tones, coupled with rich raisin and currant notes.”

Glassware: Snifter.

Appearance: Solid black with a thumb of brown foam which gradually retracts. It settles at the rim and leaves a beautiful cascading lace down the glass.

Aroma: The intensity of the whiskey is next level…it’s almost a bloody boilermaker! Surely there was a bit of leftover whiskey left in the barrels before the beer went in. We’d love to know what whiskey the barrels held beforehand as it has a certain Lowland-esque saltiness, peat and wood based vanilla. The base Stout also offers a rich and complex mix of molasses, licorice, dark chocolate and ash.

Flavour: The whiskey component is ridiculous…it’s almost straight out of the bottle except for the booze burn. Massive amounts of salted dark chocolate, peat, old oak, musty sauna room, vanilla and molasses. Some mild smoky notes and ash, licorice, dark fruits and treacle just for extra measure. The finish is so dank, musty and whiskey-driven it’s not funny. Exceptional length too.

Mouthfeel: Beer soup…thick and viscous, low Co2 and full body. 13.5% ABV is tasted and felt! This is a proper onslaught.

Overall: As much as we LOVE the intensity we feel it needs some extra balance. Something sweet or spicy like maple, vanilla or cinnamon. This is the biggest difference between the best BA Stouts from the USA and ours…balance. It’s not often we’re overwhelmed but we are on this one. Wow!