Brewdog: Paradox: Isle Of Arran (Scotland: Imperial Stout: 10% ABV)

Visual: Literal black and sheer, with a short lived brown bubble of a head that ends as tidemarks around the glass.

Nose: liquorice, quite fresh with a hint of salt. Very crisp and breezy for a stout. Clean cupboards.

Body: Sweet front, whisky cream and can almost taste orange upon it. This quickly expands out then subsides into increasingly harsh elements with knife-edge bitterness. Then finally a lemon tart, whipped cream and egg white mix of taste and feel develops.

Finish: Bitter, rocks and salt. This is where it hits. Some bitter black coffee. Some elements reminiscent of those hard liquorice allsorts that you either loved or hated. Dry wood elements are on full display. Finally burnt sausage rind and sweet strawberry.

Conclusion: A well balanced stout with just a few hints of sweet and tart flavours up front before descending through each level of bitterness yet brings back unexpected elements at the very end.

The whisky influence is subtle but appreciated. This is probably the best married whisky to stout balance of the Paradox range so far.

This beer get better and better as you drink it with smooth creamy elements developing with each mouthful. Well worth a leisurely drink