Nectar Of The Gods - Whiskey Barrel Aged
Russell Brewing Company

Nectar Of The Gods - Whiskey Barrel AgedNectar Of The Gods - Whiskey Barrel Aged
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From:
Russell Brewing Company
 
British Columbia, Canada
Style:
Wheatwine
ABV:
10%
Score:
90
Avg:
4.11 | pDev: 4.38%
Reviews:
9
Ratings:
18
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Mar 15, 2016
Added:
Mar 10, 2012
Wants:
  5
Gots:
  2
No description / notes.
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Ratings by joey5cents:
Photo of joey5cents
Rated by joey5cents from Illinois

4/5  rDev -2.7%

Apr 26, 2012
More User Ratings:
Photo of Svingjo
Reviewed by Svingjo from Canada (BC)

4/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Been sitting on a bottle of this for quite a few years. Unfortunately, I tasted a bottle back when I first purchased this in hopes of doing a comparison review but lost my tasting notes from the first tasting. So here we go.

2013 - Pours a dark amber with a thin beige head that disappears quickly leaving a thin ring around the snifter. The nose is very rich and could smell from a bit of a distance away. Lots of dark fruit, vanilla, dark burnt sugars and wood. The flavour profile mirrors a lot of what is on the nose, especially the dark fruits which are followed by a slightly boozy whiskey taste. The mouthfeel is quite syrupy with very little carbonation left and followed up with slight alcohol burn. I remember enjoying this the first time and the years since haven't changed that fact.
Mar 15, 2016
 
Rated: 4.25 by rogerdandy from Canada (AB)

Apr 16, 2014
 
Rated: 4.23 by ZachT from Canada (BC)

Oct 20, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by liamt07 from Canada (ON)

Oct 07, 2013
Photo of wordemupg
Reviewed by wordemupg from Canada (AB)

4.12/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
2011 650ml bomber poured into tulip 29/4/13 cheers Rutager for the bottle

A glows a deep amber with little clarity, just a thin film for a head with a few patches of lace, looks a little still but I love the color

S a little wood and vanilla from the barrel but not too strong, lots of brown sugar, caramel and plum with just a hint of funky earth and booze, dry cereal and sweet bourbon soaked raisins

T mimics the smell quite well, I get the black current written on the bottle but it wasn't until I read it on the label, honey and a little spice I can't place with everything else I smell

M low carbonation and silky upon entry, slight tannins and a little heat, JD on the finish with a little funky fruit

O pretty solid beer but not up there with Demeters but then again I never had this one fresh, the barrels there but I'm guessing this one peaked before I got to it

I'm pleased that we have some great breweries pulling off some barrel aged brews here out West. Solid offering form Russel but I'd drink it now if you still have bottles kicking around
May 01, 2013
Photo of TheSevenDuffs
Reviewed by TheSevenDuffs from Canada (ON)

3.98/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Thanks to Adam for this bottle!
Poured in to snifter.

A - Poured a deep copper colour with a glowing golden orange across the bottom of the glass. A thin layer of cream coloured head formed.

S - Sweet vanilla with a big oaky presence up front. Lighter whiskey notes are complimented by some fruity and caramel aromas in the background.

T - A huge oak presence dominates the palate with some bitter tannins present. The vanilla is slightly less prevalent than in the nose but adds a nice sweetness and, along with the whiskey profile, adds a layer of flavour to balance out the big oaky profile. The mid-palate adds some fruity and black currant flavours with lighter tropical fruit notes and a noticeable hop profile. The expected sweetness from the base beer doesn't really materialize, with only a touch of caramel sweetness present in the background. The finish is full of oak and a touch of whiskey.

M - Medium body; slightly sticky. Moderate carbonation.

O - My guess is that they used Jack Daniel's barrels for this one, as I got a lot of the tannic oaky flavours and toned-down whiskey profile that seem to be derived from JD barrel aging. Had this been aged in bourbon barrels or perhaps a different type of whiskey barrel, it likely would be a better compliment for the base beer and create a much better overall beer. That said, this was still an excellent beer.
Feb 08, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by oldp0rt from Canada (QC)

Jan 05, 2013
Photo of 604growler
Reviewed by 604growler from Canada (BC)

4.42/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
The bottle says 10% but this listing says 9% alcohol

"whiskey barrel aged"

A: solid head, opaque, looks like a pale ale
S: oak, sweetness
T: Tropical fruit, dates, spices, oak, beautiful bitter to follow, the wheat gives it a unique taste
M: no thinness noted
O: best beer I've tasted in a while. Unique. Complex. As good as any beer available to me
Nov 04, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by 4ster from Canada (ON)

Sep 30, 2012
Photo of Rutager
Reviewed by Rutager from Canada (BC)

4/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This one's been staring at me for a while from the back of the fridge.

Appearance. Pours a hazy orange amber with alomost 2 fingers of thick, off white head.

Smell. Booze, ripe fresh pineapple, some vanilla and wood. Interesting.

Taste. Sweet light grains, some pineapple and tropical fruits, a little woody whiskey and vanilla.

Mouthfeel. Full body, medium-low carbonation.

Overall. This is one big beer. Nice base beer for the style but not sure how much the barrel aging contributed. I'd love to try the unbarreled beer some time!
Jul 31, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by seeswo from Ohio

Apr 17, 2012
 
Rated: 4.25 by chickenm from Canada (BC)

Apr 11, 2012
Photo of FondueVoodoo
Reviewed by FondueVoodoo from Canada (BC)

4/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: Pours a hazy orange copper with 1 finger of head which dissipates into a thin film.

S: Initial smell of oak aged booziness with vanilla and sweet malts with hints of banana. Definitely noticeable whisky aroma.

T: Initially followed the smell with upfront whisky, wet oak and vanilla with a smooth warming alcohol finish. As it warmed the bitterness of the hops came forward.

M: Medium with low carbonation and noticeable alcohol presence.

O: The flavours from the whisky ageing dominate the profile of this beer, which is not necessarily a bad thing as I quite enjoyed it. However I would like to try this wheat wine without the whisky barrel ageing to get the base flavours.
Apr 08, 2012
Photo of canucklehead
Reviewed by canucklehead from Canada (BC)

4.35/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
The game is certainly afoot in BC as Russell comes out swinging in 2012. This is style not yet seen in BC and I think they not only pull it off but take up a few notches with the Barrel Aging.

The Wheat smoothes out the big beer so that it is drinkable now though cellar time would improve it. The vanilla notes from the oak add to the complexity and meld with the hops used.

Impressive beer by any standard and for Russell it puts them in the Phillips/ Driftwood league.
Apr 06, 2012
Photo of DaftCaskBC
Reviewed by DaftCaskBC from Canada (BC)

4.15/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: 1/4" foamy tan coloured head over cloudy muddy amber liquid.

S: A whiskey assault with a hint of yeast in the background.

T: Very whiskey forward with oak flavours as well. These flavours drown out the beautiful nature of this wheatwine. I have had it in some of its other permutations at the cask events around the Lower Mainland of Vancouver and I have to say that this probably could have sat in the barrels for half as long.

M: Drying from the alcohol and an alcohol burn, medium viscosity and a medium-to-low level of carbonation.

O: This is one of those cases where the unconditioned beer tastes better than conditioned beer. If the brewers from Russell read this, I don't particularly think you need to do much to your plain wheatwine. And if you do, just go subtle because it is already an amazing wheatwine as it is. Just look at the ratings that Derek and I gave the "women and beer" version of the fruit infused wheatwine from last year; and we are both tough people to impress.

However, the plain Jane Nectar of the Gods wheatwine is so good that it wouldn't hurt to have it a year round release. It is the best Russell product I have tried. To come with the seasons, different additives could be infused with this wonderful beer and I'm sure the series would be very successful.
Mar 25, 2012
Photo of BDTyre
Reviewed by BDTyre from Canada (BC)

4.02/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Limited (possibly one-off) bottle version of last year's cask. Barrel aged and a higher ABV than the cask. Copper colour with a thick, porous off-white head.

I've never had a wheatwine before, so I'm not sure what to expect. There's a kind of quirky, barleywine-esque type scent. Wheat malt scent, fruits, vanilla and booze.

The taste is of wheat malt, vanilla, and a definite boozy, winey flavour. A big mix of fruit in there, also with some nice bready malts. Really hard to describe, but very enjoyable. Alcohol is definitely noticeable

Smooth mouthfeel; definite booze presence. A good beer - I'd love to store one - but one to take your time with.
Mar 10, 2012
Nectar Of The Gods - Whiskey Barrel Aged from Russell Brewing Company
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 18 ratings