Vanishing Point 05
Innis & Gunn

 

 

500 mL bottle in a carton from the LCBO; best before Aug 2026 and served barely chilled.

Pours an inky black-brown hue, capped with just over an inch of loose, foamy, tan-coloured head that collapses within three minutes or so. A creamy collar is left behind, along with a tight ring of even lace - lookin' good so far. The aroma is not especially intense for a beer of its strength, but interesting and nuanced nonetheless - modest whiff of booze, with notes of whisky, treacle, dark chocolate and oak; hints of black fig and plum, with suggestions of licorice and burnt wood.

Roasted malts and treacle start things off, followed by baker's chocolate, fig and date. Quite boozy by mid-sip, with lots of Scotch whisky building up to a finish that includes vanilla, dark chocolate, oak/burnt wood and some bitter herbal hop notes. It's big and bold, I won't deny that, and man do those oak and whisky notes linger on and on into the aftertaste. Full-bodied, with low carbonation that meekly nudges the surface of the palate; feels soft and a little fluffy on the tongue, with some numbing from the 11%. A night cap brew if there ever was such a thing: just stand up after consuming a bottle and tell me otherwise.

Final Grade: 4.12, an A-. Some imperial stouts come at you by unloading both barrels in your face immediately - then there's imperial stouts like Vanishing Point 05, which seem almost tame at first... but make no mistake, this brew spent a long time in whisky barrels, and it shows over the course of the session. Just a little too hot for me, but then again, I don't drink whisky anymore for a reason. The high price tag is a possible deterrent, but if you really love whisky barrel stouts then I think this'll be worth the trouble. One of the finest I&G beers I've tried in years, and I'm looking forward to trying 06.

Purchased at the LCBO on 12/30/21. Stored at 4 C, on it's side, and poured into a pint glass. Normally I use my Innis and Gunn chalice, but it's currently in the dishwasher which I forgot to run last night :).

Appearance - pours a midnight black, with a grey-ish brown head. I can't see through it as I hold it up to the light. As I drink, the head laces nicely.

Smell - A bit of burn on a hard inhale, which isn't surprising for an 11% stout. On a softer inhale, I pick up a hint of peatyness, probably because I enjoy peaty scotches from the Islay region, along with sugar sweetness.

Taste - It's on the sweeter side, with the underlying peatyness balancing it out nicely, followed by ever so slight alcohol flavour and a very faint note of a burnt chocolate note on the finish.

Feel - It's not as thick as you'd expect. It maintains the same feel as a typical Innis and Gunn despite being 4%+ stronger. It coats the mouth nicely, with a good, moderately full body and mild., fine carbonation. Not quite to the level of a nitro stout, but close.

Overall - This is a must buy beer for me each Christmas season, and it's a great beer for introducing people to Barrel Aged Imperial Stouts. I find a lot of locally produced barrel aged stouts are both big on flavour and strength. They can be intimidating to someone exploring for the first time. This is fantastic introductory beer and a great tasting beer for those more experienced.

500 ml bottle served cold into chalice. LCBO purchase for $14.95 CDN. Imperial stout matured in 15 Year Old Speyside Single Malt Whiskey Casks.

Appearance - Dark brown virtually black and appearing black in the glass. A finger or so of loose tan head is poured and fizzles out mostly in about 5 minutes, leaving a small frothy collar. A little bit of spidery lacing sticks to certain points of the glass.

Smell - Plenty of whiskey aroma, roasted malts, dark chocolate and some charred wood. The whiskey and chocolate are most prevalent. Hints of smoke, but definitely not peaty. There is some vanilla presence in here too.

Taste - Mellow whiskey, dark chocolate and some wood in there. Sweeter than expected but not overly sweet. Roasty backdrop sets the table nicely. Alcohol content isn't too high on the palate. Tiny bit of minerality in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel - Fairly full bodied, with modest carbonation, booziness in the back of the throat. Dry finish.

Overall - Really solid stuff as always. Hard to pinpoint the differences year to year. Some are a little more barrel, some a little sweeter, some a little boozier. Vanishing Point 05 seems to strike the middle ground of all of those, making it a quickly vanishing pint as it's delicious and enjoyed easily.