This is a superb wood-aged beer. Its scotch whiskey taste comes through at every point, smooth, round, with slightly sweet wood notes. There is a touch of honey behind the aftertaste and a warm mouthfeel just shy of hot. This beer is aged in oak chips rather than within a barrel, which helps make it an exceptional value in its category, coming in at 1/4 the usual price. This beer makes me want to try their other offerings, all wood aged. Highly recommended.
From the brewery:
"Following the lengthy time it's spent mellowing over oak, the beer has developed a fragrant aroma of spice and rich toffee. The wood has also imparted notes of heather-honey, raisins and marzipan, making for a beautifully-balanced, complex ale, capped with a deeply smooth finish."
[source: innisandgunn.com]
"At Innis & Gunn we've discovered over time that the key to imparting great depth of flavour lies in finding a perfect match between beer and the oak that we choose. After that, it's a rare combination of the brewers' time-served expertise and the patience and respect they have for the mystical process of oak maturation. Perhaps it will come as no surprise then that our brewers, like our beers, benefit from a degree of maturity and a commitment to the hands-on, nose-in approach that they've been mastering over the years. It takes experience, and lots of sampling, to know when the beer has achieved the perfect point in terms of flavour, complexity and balance and is ready for bottling. Innis & Gunn Highland Ale perfectly demonstrates all of these factors at work and is one we're particularly proud to put our name to. Following the lengthy time it's spent mellowing over oak, the beer has developed a fragrant aroma of spice and rich toffee. The wood has also imparted notes of heather-honey, raising and marina, making for a beautifully-balanced, complex ale, capped with a deeply smooth finish."
[source: packaging]
0 comments: