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The Original - Scotch Whisky Barrel
Innis & Gunn
- From:
- Innis & Gunn
- Scotland, United Kingdom
- Style:
- Scottish Ale
Ranked #30 - ABV:
- 6.6%
- Score:
- 87
Ranked #18,066 - Avg:
- 3.83 | pDev: 7.83%
- Reviews:
- 4
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Jun 11, 2023
- Added:
- Dec 27, 2020
- Wants:
- 1
- Gots:
- 2
SCORE
87
Very Good
87
Very Good
Innis & Gunn The Original is our flagship beer, the beer on which the brewery was founded back in 2003 when we discovered the incredible effects of cask maturation. A eureka moment; the flavours imparted by Single Malt Whisky casks on this beer gave us a whole new way in brewing and with that Innis & Gunn was born.
We brew a beautiful honey-hued, malty, golden Scottish beer. We then carefully mature it using hand selected single malt whisky casks; the best we can source. This maturation lends the beer an incredible smoothness and depth of flavour with hints of vanilla, toffee, and oak.
The result is a truly unique, delicious beer brimming with vanilla and toffee. That richness is perfectly balanced by notes of orange marmalade, citrus, and hints of oak with a very gentle understated bitterness. A delicate, velvety mouthfeel completes the experience. Smooth, refreshing, and decidedly different from the usual.
Now in new packaging, The Original is still the great tasting, award-winning beer it always has been. One that continues to define our spirit of Originality.
The Original uses an expertly balanced combination of three malts; Innis & Gunn Ale Malt, Crystal Malt and Amber Malt. This exquisitely judged combination earned The Original a Grand Gold certification at the 2021 Monde Selection.
We brew a beautiful honey-hued, malty, golden Scottish beer. We then carefully mature it using hand selected single malt whisky casks; the best we can source. This maturation lends the beer an incredible smoothness and depth of flavour with hints of vanilla, toffee, and oak.
The result is a truly unique, delicious beer brimming with vanilla and toffee. That richness is perfectly balanced by notes of orange marmalade, citrus, and hints of oak with a very gentle understated bitterness. A delicate, velvety mouthfeel completes the experience. Smooth, refreshing, and decidedly different from the usual.
Now in new packaging, The Original is still the great tasting, award-winning beer it always has been. One that continues to define our spirit of Originality.
The Original uses an expertly balanced combination of three malts; Innis & Gunn Ale Malt, Crystal Malt and Amber Malt. This exquisitely judged combination earned The Original a Grand Gold certification at the 2021 Monde Selection.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by QuintusHorace:
Rated by QuintusHorace from California
3.59/5 rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Dec 28, 2022
3.59/5 rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Dec 28, 2022
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by Brutaltruth from Ohio
4.08/5 rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
4.08/5 rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
From the bottle in a snifter via Keith, our friend from across the pond! Cheers!
This excellent ale pours a nice clear golden with a very nice head of white foam
that dissipates to a thick ring, thin layer, and sports some nice lacing. Nose of
oak, subtle whiskey, vanilla, honey malts, and subtle apple. Flavors hit the mark
and surpass with apple, whiskey, oak, vanilla, honey, and peppery spicy hops.
Nice mouth feel; medium body, light carbonation in the English sense, lightly
creamy, and smooth with a moderately dry finish.
Overall----excellent!
Cheers
Oct 02, 2022This excellent ale pours a nice clear golden with a very nice head of white foam
that dissipates to a thick ring, thin layer, and sports some nice lacing. Nose of
oak, subtle whiskey, vanilla, honey malts, and subtle apple. Flavors hit the mark
and surpass with apple, whiskey, oak, vanilla, honey, and peppery spicy hops.
Nice mouth feel; medium body, light carbonation in the English sense, lightly
creamy, and smooth with a moderately dry finish.
Overall----excellent!
Cheers
Reviewed by jkblr from Indiana
3.94/5 rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.94/5 rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
11.2oz bottle BBE FEB 22 poured into a perfect pint glass at fridge temp 6.6% ABV. The beer pours bright very light amber with off white head. The head recedes to an irregular ring and puffy island. The aroma is mild with sweet notes of malt, orchard fruit, vanilla and mild oak. The taste is semisweet vanilla and malt with minimal oak and minimal bitterness. The mouthfeel is thin to medium bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, very good.
Jul 17, 2021
Reviewed by chitoryu12 from Florida
3.46/5 rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
3.46/5 rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Look: Light amber. One finger of foamy off-white white head with good retention.
Smell: Bittersweet malt, a little fruity hops. No noticeable barrel scent.
Taste: Sweet, slightly yeasty malt with a very mild scotch flavor. Light bitterness without much hop flavor tied to it.
Mouthfeel: Completely average body, with high carbonation.
Overall: Not as bold as I like my barrel-aged beers to be.
Apr 15, 2021Smell: Bittersweet malt, a little fruity hops. No noticeable barrel scent.
Taste: Sweet, slightly yeasty malt with a very mild scotch flavor. Light bitterness without much hop flavor tied to it.
Mouthfeel: Completely average body, with high carbonation.
Overall: Not as bold as I like my barrel-aged beers to be.
Rated by TryThemAllOnce from California
4.11/5 rDev +7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.11/5 rDev +7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
I can't begin to describe this any better than cjgiant did. I concur.
Dec 28, 2020
Reviewed by cjgiant from District of Columbia
3.86/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
3.86/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
A golden brew with a lean towards amber pours from a barrel-aged beer bottle. It is nicely clear, and has a fluffy white head that makes the entire package quite enticing (only confirmed by the lovely sheet of lacing as I drank it).
The nose as I poured has a mix of standard ale and a light fruit without much of anything from the barrel. Getting my nose closer, there's definitely a strong presence of the base beer - a malt-leaning ale with a perceived lightly spicy hop. The fruit is apple - more gala to red delicious with a hint of fermentation to them. The barrel might be providing some of the spice that I originally attributed to hops - but the impression of a hopped ale remains in my mind.
A light, refreshing liquid hits my palate. The effervescence is strong, but not overpowering. The beer is more dry than I expected, with a bit of dry wood in the lingering feel/taste. The flavors from the nose are present in the taste, but in a different arrangement. Very lightly toasted malt with a splash of apple cider it joined by neutral bitterness. The spice bite that the carbonation boosts seems to be a little more spirit-based, though I wouldn't say the flavors of the Scotch come through very distinctly.
So, overall this is a bit different than I expected in the specifics, but not in general. It is more easy drinking than many a barrel-aged beer, which was expected; it had a little cider note where I expected a little bit more of the barrel spirit. It was a little more dry than expected, and I think that helped my overall enjoyment.
Dec 27, 2020The nose as I poured has a mix of standard ale and a light fruit without much of anything from the barrel. Getting my nose closer, there's definitely a strong presence of the base beer - a malt-leaning ale with a perceived lightly spicy hop. The fruit is apple - more gala to red delicious with a hint of fermentation to them. The barrel might be providing some of the spice that I originally attributed to hops - but the impression of a hopped ale remains in my mind.
A light, refreshing liquid hits my palate. The effervescence is strong, but not overpowering. The beer is more dry than I expected, with a bit of dry wood in the lingering feel/taste. The flavors from the nose are present in the taste, but in a different arrangement. Very lightly toasted malt with a splash of apple cider it joined by neutral bitterness. The spice bite that the carbonation boosts seems to be a little more spirit-based, though I wouldn't say the flavors of the Scotch come through very distinctly.
So, overall this is a bit different than I expected in the specifics, but not in general. It is more easy drinking than many a barrel-aged beer, which was expected; it had a little cider note where I expected a little bit more of the barrel spirit. It was a little more dry than expected, and I think that helped my overall enjoyment.
The Original - Scotch Whisky Barrel from Innis & Gunn
Beer rating:
87 out of
100 with
13 ratings
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