Islay Whisky Cask Amber Ale
Innis & Gunn

3 words to describe this beer; tremendous, spectacular (and real), delicious

Ok 3 more words; I need more

 

It seems there might be a few variants of this one. Mine is a Scottish Red Beer.

It pours a dark brown, almost cola-like, color with a small head. In general, it's a bit under carbonated. The smell really is scotchy. Smoky, a bit peaty, but less aroma than smelling straight scotch, obviously. It's pretty much smelled how I hoped, reading the label.

Taste wise, the flavor evolves a bit the more you drink it. On first sip, it's almost overwhelming. It pretty much tastes like scotch watered down to 20 proof or so. Once your palate gets used to it, though, the beery-ness starts to come through. The front-end tastes almost like a smoked porter. Richly smoky, with a bit of coffee back there. I wish there was a bit more peat to it, as I would expect from an Islay scotch, but I think it might've gotten lost a bit behind all the flavors. The aftertaste is mostly smoke, though. If someone smelled my breath right now, I suspect they'd think I just downed a shot or two of Johnnie Walker.

It's good. As someone who likes, but doesn't love, scotch, it's a nice change of pace. If your palate is accustomed to fine scotch, you're probably not gonna have as good of a time with this one. Either way, one is plenty of this one.

Note: this was the Quarter Cask Laphroaig edition

This is a funny beer for me to review. I’ve always loved fine spirits, Gin, Whisky, etc. Scotch has always been my first love, and of all the scotch, Islay Whiskys have been my favourite. Of my favourites, Laphroaig is my absolute. The Quarter Cask was an excellent decision/release by them, the idea being aged in smaller casks/less whisky, gives it more surface area to age in. The result is a product that doesn’t need to be aged 10-12 years to receive a good smoothing out.

That said, the QC is definitely more peaty than the 10. This is ideal to me, as there are 3 reasons I love Islay. Salt, campfire, and peat. Cracking this Innis and Gunn open, wow, what a treat. It’s like they mixed the actual whisky in directly, the smell is integrated with the beer but so distinct it’s unreal.

Pours a dark ruby red, little head as is typical with I&G/cask aged beer. Rip roaring scents of campfire smoke, salty peaty smoke, brown sugar and molasses.

The taste pretty much follows the nose. 84 days in the cask have allowed the beer to get a lot of the flavours. There is an oaky flavour on the finish that is quite pleasant. Maybe the slightest hop and malt flavours up front. Smoke, peat, hints of salt, wood, vanilla, molasses.

More carbonation than I remember typical of I&G, regardless, it’s still slightly less than the average beer. Very smooth, ABV is smooth and hidden as expected. Pleasant, long finish that is smokey and peaty, slightly dry in an ashy charcoal way, if that makes sense, but also a bit wet in that sea spray foam kind of way. This doesn’t make sense, but these descriptors really evoke the mouthfeel I experience.

A review below said — tastes like watered down Laphroaig. Honestly, on some sips I can see where you’d get that. And I can see where a seasoned scotch lover would take that away, as if someone mixed club soda with Laphroaig. I’ve had (luckily just a few) mixed drinks with scotch, and this can evoke it at times. Innis and Gunns base beer is a good Scottish ale. It’s not mind blowing, but it’s decent. It’s always elevated/side graded by whatever aging process it’s undergone. I’m interested to see what a super complex, top tier base beer would be like in an Islay whisky cask. Sadly, I don’t think ill ever see one. I&G is one of the only breweries making beers like this and really experimenting with barrel aging to the degree that we see.

It’s a great beer, one of my favourites, for obvious reasons. If you love Laphroaig AND love beer, you’ll likely love this as well. I&G have a love affair with Canada for some reason, it’s always the Canadians we see them importing the most to. So I’ll always salute them for that. Cheers!

Best before November 2023. Served cold into a tulip. 2 pack at LCBO for $12.95.

Appearance - Dark brown brew with a small finger of fluffy white head on top. Moderate staying power. Darker in color than most in the I&G lineup.

Smell - Big peat notes from Laphroaig, a little caramel hiding underneath. This has character.

Taste - A little sweetness, a hint of vanilla, lots of smoke and peat but in a sort of subdued way. The smoke and peat are very present (ever present?) and dominate but not to the point of blocking everything else out. I do like a good peaty scotch though and Laphroaig is one of the best.

Mouthfeel - Medium-full bodied, semi-dry seemingly smoky in the finish. Carbonation is light and booze is well hidden.

Overall - One of the very best of I&G's lineup, with distinctive smoky aromas and flavors and a nice balance as it's not quite overplayed and quite drinkable. Definitely not for everyone but a fantastic drink. Also If you enjoy a good peaty scotch and craft beer, I very highly recommend this to you.

500 mL bottle in a tube, purchased at the LCBO not too long ago - this is the Laphroaig Islay Single Malt edition (though I'm not sure if there are other variants). Best before Nov 2022 and served barely chilled. Please note that I'm not a scotch drinker, so the finer details/descriptors of the spirit are beyond me.

Pours a deep, clear bronze-amber colour, producing nearly a finger of creamy, light beige-coloured foam that disintegrates within a couple of minutes. It leaves behind a thick, creamy collar and a few wisps on the surface - looks fine to me. Surprisingly boozy on the nose, with big notes of peat smoke, potting soil and scotch whisky; lots of oak wood and tannin too, with lesser hints of molasses and caramelized malts. Bonus points for novelty - I've been reviewing scotch ales this week, and this is the most unique aroma I've come across by far.

I sure hope you like peat, because the cask largely overpowers the underlying amber ale. Flavours of whisky, peat smoke and oak overlap with notes of molasses, toasted biscuit and caramel, with hints of figgy, prune-y dark fruits. The sip concludes with a mixture of dirty earthiness, oak tannin astringency, ethanol, and plenty more peat/Islay scotch goodness that leaves a vaguely medicinal taste behind in the aftertaste. Medium in body, with moderate carbonation levels that give this scotch amber ale a little bit of a bite; feels smooth and a little slick on the tongue. Despite its bold whisky flavours, this is not particularly hot for 7.4%, and I had no trouble at all finishing my glass.

Final Grade: 4.23, an A-. Innis & Gunn's Laphroaig Islay Whisky Cask Amber Scotch Ale is kind of blunt in some respects - and I suspect that that problem will be magnified several times over if you're not a fan of peaty scotch - but the truth is that this beer had more character than any other I&G seasonal / one-off that I've tried in years. I'm kicking myself for not buying another bottle while I had the chance - oh well, at least I got to try it. Highly recommended to fans of I&G, and a must-try if you're a fan of Laphroaig or peaty whisky in general.

The course of my life up to this point has been incorrect.

I should have been studying science, technology, the great pursuit of perpetuating my being so that I could clone myself. After tasting this beer I will be readjusting my life trajectory so that I may clone myself. I must perfect this science so that I can drink this beer and then spit into my own mouth to taste it once again.

This is the greatest pursuit of mankind, and I shall dedicate my life to it henceforth.

If I fail, I shall travel to Islay, fill my mouth with peatmoss, and return to the ocean where I shall spend my days with the selkie, in the hopes I may one day rise from the waves once more to meet the return of this glorious ale.

Watered-down Laphroaig.