Innis and Gunn (as per the previous post) have aged this incredible tasting beer in barrels which were previously used for aging 18-year old single malt scotch. Recall that the original beer is aged in Rum casks. (Day 30)
What comes through is a marshmallowy, caramelly, dark and oaky flavour. It's like the opening of a great Brahms symphony, with the dark and deep double bass (from the scotch), pulling in tension against the high and vibrant tones of the violin (from the malt), ever rising. Sometimes a great beer can make you get melodramatic, so apologies if it's coming off as such.
On Innis & Gunn Highland Cask 18 (from company website):
This special bottling of Innis & Gunn has been matured in oak barrels which had previously been used to mature 18 year old single malt Scotch Whisky from the famed Highlands region of Scotland.
The result of this unique maturation is a smooth, complex and warming beer with notes of vanilla and toffee.
And a little about the brewery:
It all began when a famous whisky distiller contacted Master Brewer Dougal Sharp to tell him
that they wanted to produce an ale-finished whisky. Many other brewers and distillers had tried to make ale finished whisky but none had succeeded. Dougal proposed a special recipe and a special technique. He created a unique ale to impart a smooth, beery character to the oak barrels. This would in turn flavour the maturing whisky. The distillers were delighted that the process worked and the resulting Ale Cask reserve Whisky was a real success.
It was only many months later, after thousands of gallons of beer had been used to season the oak barrels (then tragically, thrown away), that Dougal received a call that would change everything. “You have got to taste this beer that we are pouring away. The workers have sampled it and they say it tastes absolutely delicious,”
They were right. The first tasting of this ‘oak barrel’ beer was an unforgettable moment – it was delicious, and had a flavour unlike any beer Dougal had ever tasted. It had been completely transformed by its time in the special barrels used at the distillery.And it wasn’t just Dougal who thought something special had been discovered. At the brewery tasting panel the beer scored an unprecedented nine out of nine! Now, Dougal believed so strongly in the potential of this unique discovery that he promptly quit his job so that he could concentrate on perfecting the process and bringing Innis & Gunn to market.
In short he demonstrated himself what he could see in the beer, real character.
What followed was one whole year of long days and late nights, all in the name of refining and
perfecting this pioneer beer. When the launch finally came, a whole new oak aged beer style was born. Beer drinkers loved the delicious flavour and so did beer judges who showered Innis & Gunn with awards. From then on we have been travelling the world introducing as many people as possible to the unique flavour of our oak aged beer. But that isn’t the end of the story. In fact Innis & Gunn Original was only the beginning. More beers of character now regularly join the Innis & Gunn family. You can find out all about these in ‘The Range’ section of this site. And it’s even available on draught now too.
So there you have it, the story of Innis & Gunn. An inspiring tale of one man who showed his
character in the quest for a beer that would reveal a unique character all of it’s own.
And now it’s the choice of drinkers of character too.
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