Tasting Notes: Lost Abbey: Cable Car 2020

Lost Abbey: Cable Car 2020 (USA: Sour Ale: 7% ABV)

Visual: Lemon juice coloured body, with a thin white rim of a head.

Nose: Lemon juice. Horse-blankets. Vanilla. Light custard. Apple pie with sugar dusting.

Body: Apple pie. Lemon juice. Sugar dusting. Sugared almond. Sour lemon. Sour lime. White chocolate. Slight peppery. Soft pineapple.

Finish: Lime. Yeast funk. Sour lemon. Buttery pastry. White chocolate. Slight white pepper. Sour rises over time. Tinned tropical fruit.

Conclusion: Ohhh this is so soft, but so rewarding. Initially this was so gentle on the tongue that the sour character from a wild beer only hit in the finish, where it rises to a reasonable but far from powerful punch in a very pleasurable way.

Also in these early days it is a very lemon juice fresh body, but then slowly rounds out a gorgeous soft apple pie filling character and then out into soft tart, sweet pineapple. It feels like the opposite of the Cantillons I had just had. So easy to get into, so gentle, and yet like the Cantillons it is so rewarding and rounded, just in a completely different and more approachable way. As you get used to it the barrel ageing starts to show with burst of tinned tropical fruit amongst a building zestiness.

Then, to make sure it has that slight grounding, it has a light peppery character,especially white pepper – a lovely savoury spice, and this is from someone who doesn’t like spice notes too much in my beers. It is so drinkable, dangerously so for its elevated 7% ABV. Unlike so many sours, which I treat as slow sipper and cannot have too many of, this goes down so very easily – it is so open and easy to get into the fruit notes and fully appreciate.

This is a fantastic easy to drink sour and a fantastic beer in general, worth its high reputation.

Background: Well this was deeply unexpected, after the joy of all the Zwanze beers at Moor, a visitor from America we had been talking with offered to to share some of the beers he had brought – including this one as the first! Cable Car is a wild beer with an incredibly high reputation, currently highest rated wild beer on ratebeer, and to my memory was once part of their top 50 beers in the world. Now as always ratebeer has some biases on its top beers, but this has always had a buzz everywhere. Lost abbey – the Belgian beer side of a brewery also known as Port Brewing have done incredible beers in the past. Back in the mid 2Ks I managed to try a whole bunch of them and they were amazing, these days world beers are far harder to get and I’ve not seen a Lost Abbey beer for a while. Anyway thank you so very much to our kind American visitor, I know bottle shares is a bit of a tradition in USA beer events, and I felt so bad that we had nothing to offer in return as it is generally not something that happens here. Also, the smaller pour is my choice, he offered as large measure as we wanted, but i went with a restrained measure for a) my own survival and b) So as many people as possible could try as possible as with a rarity like this it is only fair to make sure people get to try when it is so kindly on offer . It was plenty for me to enjoy and not overdo the alcohol on an already heavy drinking day. Anyway yes, a barrel aged sour of high reputation and I was so excited to try it.

Tasting Notes: Cantillon: Magic Lambic

Cantillon: Magic Lambic (Belgium: Fruit Lambic: 5.5% ABV)

Visual: Bright black-cherry red. Thin white dash of a head.

Nose: Vanilla. Dry white oak. Raspberry. Strawberry.

Body: Raspberry. Very fresh. Vanilla. Green grapes. Blueberries. Raspberry coolers. Twigs. Greenery. Strawberry. Light cheese funk.

Finish: Raspberry cooler. Fresh. Lemon. Vanilla sweetness. Blueberry. Strawberry jelly. Shortbread pastry.

Conclusion: Oh this is the epitome of the Cantillon fruited lambic for me, this is the one where I 100% get it. Which may be a sign that I am a lightweight as a lot of people consider this the Cantillon to ease people in, due to it being less mouth puckering than most. Ah well, I like it, a lot, and that is what matters to me.

It is mouth freshening still, but the vanilla gives a gentle sweetness that makes it oh so approachable, giving an in that the sour Cantillon character is less imposing. Now I like the Rose de Gambrinus, but that is mouth puckeringly sharp. This has a lovely fresh, kind of raspberry cooler style fruit character – far brighter and more vibrant that your average use of raspberry in lambic. I have not tried the Lou Pepe Framboise, that makes up the base of this, for a very long time, so have to use Rose de Gambrinus as my closest comparison.

On top of that, or more gently underneath, there are subtle blueberry notes that add a depth, a slight darkness and with that a range of flavour beyond that bright and quite sweet front. There are more traditional lambic notes there, such as twigs and a yeast funk that give a more savoury grip so it doesn’t become simplistic. It is easy to drink, so refreshing despite that – the fruit is so approachable and makes this a fantastic beer to drink on a warm day as I did.

Finally there is a lovely savoury shortbread pasty dryness underlying it, along with a slight greenery – something that helps ground the brighter character and just brings everything together.

This is utter magic, Pun intended.

Background: Last of the Cantillons I did tasting notes for at Zwanze day at the Moor taproom. I had actually tried this at a previous Zwanze day but had not done notes then so wanted to make sure to do notes on it this time. This is based on Lou Pepe Framboise, one of my first Cantillon experiences back in the day, made with 80% raspberries, 20% BlackBerries and madagascar vanilla. The internet tells me is is also called Cantillon Framboise Vanille. Magic Lambic was first made in 2018 to help the Magic Land Theatre which was struggling. Though ratebeer lists Cantillon Zwanze 2016 also as an alias for Cantillon Framboise Vanilla which clashes with that 2018 first brewing date, so take these aliases with a pinch of salt, they may just be very similar rather than the same. This was drunk on tap, but again I took a picture of the bottle version as it is pretty.

Tasting Notes: Elusive: Sunken Knave : Overboard

Elusive: Sunken Knave : Overboard (England: Old Ale: 6% ABV)

Visual: Very dark brown to black. Moderate sized browned head that doesn’t last long.

Nose: Raisins. Brown bread. Light chalk. Malt chocolate.

Body: Slightly sour. Sour grapes. Vinous. Sherry soaked raisins. Slight chalk. Brown bread. Slight yeastie funk. Malt chocolate. Light sulphur.

Finish: Raisins. Sour grapes. Vinous touches. Sour red wine. Slightly chalky. Slight yeastie funk. Slight smoked cheese. Light bitter hop character. Cocoa dust.

Conclusion: I oft bemoan that some beer styles are so under-represented these days. Oft while I buy my 2000^th west coast IPA, So I admit I may not be helping there. I am a hypocrite some times, I know it. Anyway, the old ale style is definitely one that deserves more love, and here we have one.

This, made in conjunction with Sunken Knave who I can’t wait to try more from, utterly nails it.

It has that slight vinous sourness – a part I love and is oft ignored by the more mainstream takes on old ales, then it layers that over a maltly, slightly malt chocolate body. It also expresses dark fruit but does not rely on them as the main core. The sourness keeps it feeling fresh and yet solid.

There is this mix of sour grapes and sherry soaked dark fruit that feels so rewarding to explore, with light chalkiness and bitterness underlining the whole experience.

Do I like it? I’m on my third can I have bought and I’m only just letting it survive long enough for me to do notes on it. Yes I like it. There is a slight yeast funk that works really well with the sourness, and seems to give a light smoke like, sulphurous touch, very mild – but just enough that it adds to how this beer just nails everything I want from an Old Ale.

Another great Elusive beer, and I can’t wait to see what comes from Sunken Knave after this.

Background: Initially I grabbed this as it was an old ale and you don’t see enough of them these days. Later I found out Sunken Knave is a new brewery trying to bring focus back to traditional British beer styles, and classic recipes to try to gain them the kind of respect that the traditional Belgian beers currently have. Which you know what, I am behind. I love the craft beer movement and the new beer interpretations, but my problems with more traditional British beers in the old days were never the beer styles, but how so often the most dull versions were the ones available. A focus on the traditional British beer styles with an emphasis on quality sounds just the thing we need these days. I am looking forwards to seeing Sunken Knave’s solo work, hopefully soon. It also helps that Elysium, the main brewer for this is one I have gained massive respect for over the past year or so. Anyway, not much else to add. Grabbed from Independent Spirit and drunk while listening to Bikini Kill: Pussy Whipped. One of their albums I had not heard before.

Tasting Notes: Blanton: Black Label

Blanton: Black Label (USA: Single Cask Bourbon: 40% ABV)

Visual: Darkened gold. Fast, thick streaks come from the spirit.

Nose: Honeycomb. Slight sulphur. Rye crackers. Vanilla toffee. Smooth. Water smooths out more to crushed shortbread.

Body: Very smooth. Honey. Custard slices. Warming. Oily sheen. Vanilla yogurt. Orange skin. Rounded feel. Green grapes. Water gives shortbread. Toffee. Subtle coffee.

Finish: Vanilla fudge. Shredded wheat. Custard touches. Peppery. Slight oak. Orange skin. Water adds slight malted chocolate. Grapes. Milky coffee.

Conclusion: Ok, so, invariably I’m going to compare this to Blanton’s Gold. Like, with no pun intended Blanton’s Gold is the gold standard of Bourbon for me. As a single barrel experience I know each Blanton’s I experience will be a tad different, but they have yet to let me down.

But before I dig into comparing it against the king of Bourbon, how does it do as a dram in itself? It is incredibly smooth, very well rounded and gripping with a slight oily sheen that covers the tongue. It all gives a wonderful mix of weight and easy drinking character. Is very surprisingly gripping for its reduced 40% ABV.

The flavour range isn’t surprising but it is robust, with a very warming and rounded take on the usual toffee, peppery, rye crackers and cereal notes. It does expand into sweeter and honey and on the darker side subtle milky coffee notes which really give a classy feel.

Initially I was blown away, I was considering it a serious competitor to Gold, it is so smooth yet so rounded in flavour. The easier drinking Blantons. It has less alcohol to work with and against, but has a ton of character.

After thinking, I have to admit I would still go with Gold as the all time great though. With the advantage the extra abv give Gold it gets to play with a bigger and wider range of notes. So, it is the better bourbon overall, but this cannot be beaten for quality matched with ease of drinking. Though I will say if there is available a version with this thing’s age, and Golds higher abv I have a feeling it may win best bourbon ever. Also if it is something I can afford as I have a feeling such a thing would cost a pretty penny.

As is, at the cost this goes for in Japan this is a freaking steal – an amazing quality and rounded bourbon with grip, a nice sheen, bright sweet notes, slight pepper and those coffee notes all combining to something special. At this cost it goes for outside Japan … I would say grab the Gold as that extra abv gives it the edge.

Still a fantastic bourbon if you can get it at a non silly price.

Background: My 500^th Whiskey tasting! And something special I have been saving. The eagle eyed and with long memories of you may recall ages back I mentioned that I had one final drink to do note on from my Japan holiday, then I never did it. THIS IS IT! Yes my last drink from Japan is an American whiskey, stick with me for a moment. This is the Japan only Black Label release of Blanton, that gets flipped for silly money over here. It is only 40% abv compared to the 45-50% and up of most Blantons release, but Black Label is said to have a higher minimum age of whiskey in it. I say “Is said” as I see different dates from different sources. The most common said is minimum 6 years for standard Blantons, and 8 years for Blantons Black, so lets go with that for now. I kept my eyes out for this in bars but never saw it, and then, while I was hunting for a local seafood market in Niigata as I had heard the red snow crab was a delicacy to try, I saw right next to it a big beer and liquor store. So of course I poked my head in and … there it was ..one single bottle of this rarity. I used my phone, checked and yep that was it. I had found it while looking for something else entirely. Only one bottle, much to the chagrin of many a friend who would have loved a bottle. Then again I had enough issues trying to get it back undamaged in my luggage – especially when my flight home was cancelled and I got sent via Scotland adding nearly a day to my trip, where their x-ray made them think I had brought back the worlds largest perfume bottle due to the bottle’s odd shape. Anyway, for what it is it was incredibly cheap. I wont give exact amount, but less than 40 quid. So I figured at that cost it was worth the risk of trying to get it back undamaged. As you can see the box took a bit of a kicking. So there we are, the tale of my 500^th whiskey tasting. Music wise I want for the Roadrunner United album for some great music to back this event.

Tasting Notes: Bushmills: Causeway Collection: 1997: Rum Cask

Bushmills: Causeway Collection: 1997: Rum Cask (Irish Single Malt Whiskey: 25 Year: 46.2% ABV)

Visual: Pale yellowed gold. Medium thickness and speed streaks come from the spirit.

Nose: Sherry trifle. Fresh cut apple. Raisins. Vanilla custard. Smooth. Green grapes. Water adds peppery character. More green grapes. Cleaner.

Body: Honey. Slight thickness. Mango. Green grapes. Clotted cream. Raisins. Brandy cream. Slightly drying tannins. Apple. Water adds more mango. Dried banana and toffee.

Finish: Brandy cream. Raisins. Figgy pudding. Slight oak. Vanilla custard. Peppery. Mango. Water adds dried banana. Green grapes and dry fudge.

Conclusion: The Causeway Collection continues to massively impress me. I mean, at the bloody cost for a bottle it damn well should! But often expensive whiskies can be quite the let down. This manages to dodge that (and, again while a full bottle is expensive this six pack of minis is a freaking steal)

This is nothing like what I expected a rum cask whisky to taste like – while there are spirity cream and raisin notes that are familiar the main character showing through is the green fruit that I love as the Bushmills base character but now enhanced by mango that makes it unusual and exceptionally fruity.

Despite a (admittedly comparatively low) cask strength this is super smooth, but the extra abv does give a nice bit of grip that some Bushmills can lack.

While I prefer the sheer intensity of the 2000 Port Wood Causeway bottling, the smoothness and complexity of this one cannot be overstated. It is one of the most unusual Bushmills I have had, while still showing its base character and as that it is one of the most rewarding I have had from them.

Absolutely excellent, rather than overwhelm the base spirit with the unusual ageing this manages to just that fruitiness in a new direction that works magnificently.

Background: So, same as in Bushmills 16 notes “Ok this is incredibly good value. I picked up a set of mini Bushmills from The Whisky shop. It had 3 cl of Bushmills 10,16,21, Causeway Collection 2000 Port cask, 1997 Rum cask and 1991 Madeira cask. For 30 quid. The 1991 Madeira cask goes for 695 quid a bottle, which works out at just short of 30 quid for 3cl of that alone! I have no freaking clue how they sell this for 30 pounds. Any which way, a must grab for me. “. I still can’t get over how this was only 30 quid for the set. Only the 1997 left to do notes on after this. The Bushills 12 Year Caribbean Rum finish was one of my favourite whiskies all those years ago when you could still get it, so I have had a soft spot for rum cask Bushmills ever since. A competitively low cask strength on this one – at just over 46% it is similar to some of the more robust standard whiskey bottlings you can find – guess the angel share was nasty for this one. Went with Fear Factory: Demanufacture for backing music, big music for big whiskey.

Tasting Notes: Teeling: Explorers Series: Japanese Edition

Teeling: Explorers Series: Japanese Edition (Irish Whiskey: 15 Year: 46% ABV)

Visual: Pale yellow grain coloured spirit.

Nose: Jelly babies in alcohol. Raspberry coolers. Grassy. Vanilla. Clean. Light lime. Vanilla toffee. Lightly earthy. Water makes more like alcoholic jelly shooters.

Body: Vanilla. Jelly babies. Sherry trifle. Grassy. Clean alcohol sheen. Apples. Gingerbread. Slight malt chocolate. Water soothes. More apples. Vanilla custard.

Finish: Warming gingerbread. Apple jolly ranchers. Vanilla fudge. Grassy. Lightly peppery/white pepper. Water adds grapes.

Conclusion: Shochu has always been an interesting on for me. Sake/Nihonshu I definitely like, when done well anyway, Shochu, the little I have got to try anyway, has some interesting flavours but is flipping fire-water!

Whiskey, now whiskey I am on more stable territory with that, until we reach this – Shochu aged whiskey! What madness is this?

When I first opening this it felt like it had inherited some of the shochu roughness, fine enough but a bit rough edged. A bit of time and air and it turns out instead I have myself quite the banger of a dram.

It still has gone some alcoholic … energy shall we say, but no longer feels rough. There are still alcoholic jelly baby flavours that feel like the Shochu influence mellowed through the whisky – allowing you to get the weird flavours without that raw alcohol punch.

The whisky below that is now Irish smooth, despite the shochu influence, when it has time to air anyway, but surprisingly grassy and savoury , with even a lightly earthy touch amongst the more familiar vanilla toffee. There is quite a range to the sweeter side though with fudge, vanilla custard and,erm, vanilla notes.

It all makes for an unusual whisky that is easy drinking but still bright and exciting, yet with good grounding to keep it from feeling overpowering. Lots of good touches taken from each element that makes this dram up, and they have stripped out a lot of the negative elements.

Water smooths it even more but seems to lose some sparkle. It is fine, easier to drink, but I prefer the wilder character it has neat.

I’m very impressed, well worth grabbing, just, you know, give it some time in an open bottle to air to get the best from it.

Background: I am, not quite sure what type of whiskey this is? I have seen it listed as Pot still, blended and single malt online and the box doesn’t seem to specify. I am pretty darn sure it is not single malt though as the box mentions corn and malted barley in the mix, a big no no for single malt. Best guess, Post Still whiskey, but have not managed to find confirmation. Anyway Teeling, they have some nice whiskies in their line up and this one is a tad unusual. Spent its first 11 years in bourbon casks, pretty normal, then the last 4 years in Mugi Shochu casks. From the website Mugi is the barley made version of Shochu, useful to know. I’ve tried a few versions of shochu when I was in Japan, they are .. an experience shall we say, and seem to be able to be made with most grains. Heck according to wiki it is “It is typically distilled from rice, barley, sweet potatoes, buckwheat, or brown sugar, though it is sometimes produced from other ingredients such as chestnut, sesame seeds, potatoes, or even carrots.“ So, wow more varied than I ever guess, if wiki is not just being flat out wrong again. Music wise went with Espirit d’air’s album Oceans. I would like to claim it is a thematic link as the band is a mixed Japanese British one – but one – this is from Ireland not Britain. Two, I put it on as had just seen them live recently. They have amazing energy live, such a good vibe. Anyway, another one grabbed from Independent Spirit.

Tasting Notes: Thompson Bros: Dailuaine 2016

Thompson Bros: Dailuaine 2016 (Scottish Speyside Single Malt Whisky: 7 Years: 57.1% ABV)

Visual: A deep gold whisky with slow puckering from the spirit.

Nose: Caramel to twix. Honeycomb. Light wisp of smoke. Oily. Heather. Wood shavings. Light black cherry yogurt. Water adds blueberry.

Body: Strong! Thick fatty butter. Drying. Dried blueberries on digestives and shortbread. Water adds rich plums. Fruitcake and fudge.

Finish: Dry oak. Ash. Fatty butter. Drying. Dried blackcurrant. Dried blueberry. Shortbread. Water adds plums. Fruitcake. Dark rum. Slight cloves.

Conclusion: Oh this opened up so much with even just a touch of water. Neat it is very strong – the aroma just punching out sweet caramel to honeycomb along with some dark fruit. All this is just accentuated for the better with that drop of water.

Neat the body was kind of closed for me, others in the tasting enjoyed it, but I found that, due to the strength, it didn’t really show itself to me. Like this is had a kind of fatty butter quality and just hints of the dark fruit the aroma promised. Now water makes it what it should be, bringing out full on plums and caramel that makes the whisky shine here.

Then as we head back into the finish you get real dark fruit packed into a variety of biscuity flavours. Again, good neat, but expands massively with water. Top and tail this whisky is good at any point, but the body really needs water to show itself.

With water this is epically fruity, with plums, fruitcake, everything making it really dark, heavy and delicious, with spirity leanings thrown in. At this point, now it has opened up, it is amazingly rich and rewarding – a dark xmas dessert style whisky, covered with spirits.

Like this it is a genuinely great whisky. Enjoy just a touch neat to see how it is like that, then dive in with the water and really appreciate it.

Background: Another one from Independent Spirit‘s Burn night tasting. This is an independent bottling from Thompson Brother’s who have been very much impressing me with their bottlings and their own, very hard to get hold of, whisky. This is a bottling of Dailuaine, not one you see much. At the tasting we were told all the badgers on the bottles was a nod to the Flora and Fauna bottlings of Dailuaine – which is a nice touch. This is one of 1006 bottles and was aged in an oloroso hogshead. As always with tastings I did my best to turn out decent notes despite the range of alcohol being consumed and limited time. Apparently Dailuaine uses stainless steel rather than copper condensers, which is an oddity and probably explains a lot about the unusual nature of this spirit.

Tasting Notes: Elusive: Triple Oregon Trail

Elusive: Triple Oregon Trail (England: IIPA: 10% ABV)

Visual: Pale, light yellow gold. Thin white head that leaves suds. Slightest haze to the body.

Nose: Jelly babies. Apple chewy sweets. Orange juice. Lightly resinous. Peach. Grapes.

Body: Oily. Kiwi. Resinous. Pineapple. Slightly dry but sweet. Peach. Medium hop bitterness. Quite thick. Fruit syrup. Vanilla fudge. Lightly sherbety mouthfeel. Mandarin orange. Jelly sweets.

Finish: Jolly rancher hard sweets. Grapefruit. Resinous. Oily bitterness. Light charring. Mandarin orange. Drying. Good bitterness.

Conclusion: West Coast – triple – IPA. An interesting mix. Triple IPAs are generally fucking malt bombs in order to get their high abv going. West coast IPAs tend to be well attenuated and dry with high bitterness. Not an impossible match, but always an interesting one.

This opens so jelly sweet like in the aroma, so the first time I encountered it I was worried it was going to forsake the west coast IPA style. It was very fruity, very jelly sweets. However it did have a good resinous note, so there was a promise of a good hop range, but I was worried it was going to end up much sweeter than I wanted and more east coast style.

So, luckily I was wrong. The body is kind of fruit syrup sweet, but despite that manages to still have a dryness that lets the bitterness play. It is lovely and resinous and oily in the body, leading into a bruising kick of hops in the finish. It isn’t super attenuated, but they definitely have enough that you can still call it a west coast.

The body somehow keeps some of those jelly sweets and fruit syrup flavours despite the dryness, with lots of pineapple and peach freshening it up nicely.

The finish is where it really nails it. Bitter, resinous, now with grapefruit freshness rather than the pineapple style which makes it sparkle more, and west coast dry rather than jelly sweet. Which all gives the perfect end to a bitter, resinous, oily punch.

I’ve respected and enjoyed most of Elusive’s varied takes on Oregon Trail, but this takes the difficult to do west coast TIPA and made it work and with that gained my respect so much. It nailed it so well.

Background: I love me some west coast IPAs and Elusive have done a solid range of different takes on them. I, however do not think I have encountered a west coast Triple IPA before. I would have to search to check, but I think this may be a new one on me. Well, depending on definition – at 10% ABV it lines up with few west coasts I’ve had that call themselves double IPAs or just Imperial IPAs, but any which way sounds fun. Grabbed from Independent Spirit a few times before I finally did notes on it, I kept returning so I already knew , barring a horrible batch accident, that I was going to have fun with this one. Decided to go for some lovely Sisters Of Mercy: Floodland as music to back it, I knew I was going to have a good time, so some cool tunes would make it all the more cool.

Tasting Notes: Thompson Bro’s: Dornoch Single Malt Whisky: Cask 54

Thompson Bro’s: Dornoch Single Malt Whisky: Cask 54 (Scottish Highland Single Malt Whisky: 55.5% ABV)

Visual: Light gold. Thick and slow streaks come from the spirit.

Nose: Peppery oak. Waxy. Dry. Dried pineapple. Light charring. Light vanilla. Water brings out more tropical fruit.

Body: Tingling alcohol. Apricot. Dry oak. Peppery. Lightly waxy. Light kiwi. Dry toffee. Light pineapple. Water makes fruitier, a kind of halfway point between dried apricot and just more apricot. Clotted cream. Caramelised brown sugar – creme brulee. Cinnamon.

Finish: Peppery. Chinese five spice. Dry. Lightly waxy. Dry white chocolate. Water adds light brown sugar.

Conclusion: Well, the night impossible to get Dornoch distillery whisky now sits in my hands. How can it live up to its reputation? Without water it actually does pretty well. Neat it is lightly spicy, lightly waxy – there is a huge range in the spice flavours but never too intense. In a way it reminds me of the Indian approach to spice in curry – unlike UK expressions not concentrating on heat or intensity, instead on delicious flavour. Like that but with spice flavour use in whisky.

Behind that it is sweet, with hints of that bourbon ageing in a set of tropical fruit notes.

So, I say that is how it is neat. Does that mean water ruins it?

Nope. With water this becomes amazing instead of just very good. It had all you had before but now sweeter, even the spice comes across sweeter, more cinnamon like than savoury, but it still has a large spice range. Also much more sweet fruits in a way that makes me think of its native Highland style meeting a touch of Speyside influence in how it comes across with the Highland weight meeting a touch of Speyside sweetness and fruit. Heck there is even a clotted cream like note that is balanced against by the strength of the main whisky.

Weighty, delicious and opens up so much with water. This is so easy to drink and so rewarding. Oh yes this lives up to its reputation.

Background: Well this was a freaking surprise. First whisky up at Independent Spirit’s Uber Whisky tasting, the final tasting of the year. This one had not been listed before the start so caught me completely by surprise. Dornoch is a tiny distillery, and one of the many new distilleries of recent years. Its whisky is darn hard to get hold of, you have to enter a ballot each time from the distilleries website to get a chance to buy some and I never have seen any before now. I had tried some of Thompson Brother’s independent bottlings and blends before, the owners of Dornoch Distillery and they have been pretty darn good so far, so had high hopes. If I heard right this is one of only 178 bottles in this batch. However my hearing was suffering a bit at the time of the tasting so that may not be accurate. This was aged 100% in bourbon wood and released at cask strength. As always at tasting like this I was distracted and having fun so my notes may not be the best, but I tried to do what I could.

Tasting Notes: Wylam: Revenge Of The Green Butt Skunk

Wylam: Revenge Of The Green Butt Skunk (England: IIPA: 8.4% ABV)

Visual: Cloudy lemon juice coloured body with large white mounded ice cream like head.

Nose: Resin. Grapefruit. Oily bitterness. Cannabis touch.

Body: Oily. Resinous. Black liquorice. Custard cream biscuits. Lots of hop oils. Sticky. Squeezed orange. “dank”. Slight smoke wisp. Vanilla custard.

Finish: Sticky. Kumquat. Resinous. Bitter. Grapefruit. Pineapple.

Conclusion: Often I have not been on board with the cloudier side of the IPA range – there is always an overhanging shadow of the NEIPA style and low hop bitterness which is generally not my thing. This is by far not the cloudiest IPA I have seen but initially I was nervous.

I should not have worried, as the name promises, this opens up resinous, oily and bitter. The aroma mainly just works with those notes, though with the promise of a grapefruit release hidden in there. It is when you take the first sip that things really start to get going.

It is the perfect balance between thick and dry feel – there is a vanilla custard weight but it still feels slight attenuated in a way that makes it sweet but not so much it gets in the way of a thick, oily, “dank” set of notes. The only bit that isn’t 100% for me is the oily liquorice coming out, but as it is done here I can live with it.

What really makes this beer work though is the finish. It is still oily, still bitter, but after a while that grapefruit that was there in the body and aroma, but temporarily absent in the finish, comes back with a bit of extra strength that grant a brief respite from the whole weight of the oily resinous hops that is delicious and really makes you both want to take a moment to appreciate it and also take another sip to enjoy that bitterness anew.

That release takes it from a good beer to an amazing one. Those fresher grapefruit notes, along with the slight extra sweetness from the higher malt allows it to manage much more oily bitterness that it would otherwise be able to do without getting rough and lets this beer go so much further.

An amazing DIPA, get it, love it.

Background: This is a beer I have been meaning to do notes on for a while. I have had several cans of this and each time they vanished deliciously before I could do notes on them. So, this time, another can bought from Independent Spirit, with a determination to actually do notes on it this time. This is a rebrew as a result of a poll of fans to see which DIPA special should be remade and I think the original was a brewed up version of what was originally an IPA. I could be wrong. Googling is not helping me here. Anyway, made with Galaxy, Nelson Sauvin and Citra, that is a nice set of hops. Went with Bad Brains self titled album for backing music. Yep still on an early 80s punk kick.