Islay Whisky Cask 2022 - Laphroaig Quarter Cask
Innis & Gunn
- From:
- Innis & Gunn
- Scotland, United Kingdom
- Style:
- Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy
- ABV:
- 7.4%
- Score:
- +9 ratings needed
- Avg:
- 4.24 | pDev: 0%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 1
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Aug 08, 2023
- Added:
- Jun 15, 2022
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
NO SCORE
-
-
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Reviewed by thehyperduck from Canada (ON)
4.24/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.5
4.24/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.5
330 mL bottle from the LCBO; best before Nov 2023 and served at cellar temperature. This is from last year's I&G Xmas gift pack, but I mistook it for a beer that I'd already reviewed (and so placed it in the cellar). Apparently they're slightly different products (i.e. the 2021 release was finished in Laphroaig port casks, while this one was aged entirely in Laphroaig quarter casks).
Pours a clear chestnut amber-colour, stirring up one finger of foamy, buff-coloured head that sizzles off within a minute or two. A creamy cap and collar survive, with the latter producing plenty of beautiful lace as you sip and swirl the glass - looks fine so far. Really peaty and smokey on the nose, sorta-kinda giving off that 'savoury smoked meat' vibe that I only really get from rauchbiers. Lots of oak too, with hints of molasses, dark fruit, vanilla and potting soil, as well as some booziness.
Smooth flavours at first - a little fruity, with hints of fig and plum, descending quickly into a peaty whisky-lover's delight. Toffee, molasses, burnt sugar and date fruit also come through, but it's the oak and peat that really strike you, lasting through to the finish. Hints of potting soil, smoke and roasted malts, with a moderately boozy aftertaste through which the peat persists. Medium-bodied, with low carbonation that gives little resistance; the mouthfeel is silky-smooth and a little slick, but rather flat. The serving size is about right - a pint of this would be a little too much IMO.
Final Grade: 4.24, an A-. Innis & Gunn's 2022 Laphroaig Quarter Cask is so much more memorable than their mainline brews. I am confident that this is not the same "Islay Whisky Cask" I reviewed last time: the peat smoke aspect has been amplified two-fold, while the fruitiness is toned down considerably. That is to say, this variant goes all-in on peat, and so it's much more likely to be a hit with the Islay whisky crowd - and, conversely, less enjoyable for those who don't care for smoked beers. I'd buy this again for sure, but I wouldn't want to drink it every week.
Aug 08, 2023Pours a clear chestnut amber-colour, stirring up one finger of foamy, buff-coloured head that sizzles off within a minute or two. A creamy cap and collar survive, with the latter producing plenty of beautiful lace as you sip and swirl the glass - looks fine so far. Really peaty and smokey on the nose, sorta-kinda giving off that 'savoury smoked meat' vibe that I only really get from rauchbiers. Lots of oak too, with hints of molasses, dark fruit, vanilla and potting soil, as well as some booziness.
Smooth flavours at first - a little fruity, with hints of fig and plum, descending quickly into a peaty whisky-lover's delight. Toffee, molasses, burnt sugar and date fruit also come through, but it's the oak and peat that really strike you, lasting through to the finish. Hints of potting soil, smoke and roasted malts, with a moderately boozy aftertaste through which the peat persists. Medium-bodied, with low carbonation that gives little resistance; the mouthfeel is silky-smooth and a little slick, but rather flat. The serving size is about right - a pint of this would be a little too much IMO.
Final Grade: 4.24, an A-. Innis & Gunn's 2022 Laphroaig Quarter Cask is so much more memorable than their mainline brews. I am confident that this is not the same "Islay Whisky Cask" I reviewed last time: the peat smoke aspect has been amplified two-fold, while the fruitiness is toned down considerably. That is to say, this variant goes all-in on peat, and so it's much more likely to be a hit with the Islay whisky crowd - and, conversely, less enjoyable for those who don't care for smoked beers. I'd buy this again for sure, but I wouldn't want to drink it every week.
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