Big Sound - Bourbon Barrel-Aged
Cigar City Brewing

Big Sound - Bourbon Barrel-AgedBig Sound - Bourbon Barrel-Aged
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From:
Cigar City Brewing
 
Florida, United States
Style:
Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy
ABV:
8.5%
Score:
97
Avg:
4.37 | pDev: 7.78%
Reviews:
102
Ratings:
671
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Dec 20, 2021
Added:
Jun 16, 2009
Wants:
  367
Gots:
  164
Big Sound Scotch Ale is dedicated to our good buddy Gino, the most Punk Rock Bagpiper you will ever meet, and the rest of the men and women of the Tampa Bay Pipes and Drums. Brown in color, Big Sound has huge notes of dark sweet toffee with underlying mild notes of coffee in the aroma. The flavor starts with a slight note of cherry and then opens into a goliath of malt character with notes of dark sweet toffee, coffee and mild notes of toasted bread in the finish. Big Sound Scotch Ale pairs well with Haggis, Highland Games, Huge Heads, Enormous pillows and of course Bagpipe Music.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of Beersnake
Reviewed by Beersnake from California

4.68/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
2015 bottle opened in December, 2021. Poured at fridge temp, but allowed to warm for a while. Pours a murky dark brown with quickly dissipating head.

Nose is toffee candy, figs, plums, bourbon, chocolate, raisins, and an amazing amount of malty goodness. This one is very inviting, and I don't detect any signs of being too far gone.

Taste is incredible. Super smooth and almost creamy. Reminds me a lot of Backwoods and Wulver. Rich toffee, boozy, bourbon, a bit of maple, figs, prunes, leather, a bit of roasted malts, and a nice layer of raisins. A bit of sherry makes its way in as well. Absolutely marvelous!

Mouthfeel is medium to thick bodied. Alcohol is definitely detectable, but it's not too much. Overall, this is one of the best BA Scotch Ales I have ever tried.
Dec 20, 2021
Photo of SHODriver
Reviewed by SHODriver from North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A: Poured into a barrel aged beer glass to a beer which is essentially black. The beer is topped by a dense and slightly rocky finger of light tan head which fades slowly to a collar around the edge of the glass with minimal lacing
S: Smells of molasses, caramel and oak with some chocolate and vanilla
T: Taste is caramel and molasses with some chocolate, oak, and vanilla. This is one sticky sweet beer with some slight fig notes as well. On the swallow there's more caramel, molasses, oak, wood spice, and vanilla.
M: This beer has a very full body with a silky feel on the palate. Carbonation is there but it struggles to be apparent due to the heft of the base beer while the beer has a drying finish.
O: Overall this is a really tasty beer. Great flavors and a nice amount of complexity make this an interesting beer to drink. Despite me having this since 2017ish it's held up quite well. The flavors are also quite pronounced yet still balanced.
Sep 06, 2021
 
Rated: 4.34 by robotic_being from Illinois

Jan 27, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by tsgooch79 from Kentucky

Nov 13, 2018
Photo of bubseymour
Reviewed by bubseymour from Maryland

4.94/5  rDev +13%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
This beer feels alot bigger than 8.5%. More like a 11-12% ABV BA beer. Very sweet and really good all around. Probably the best I've ever had on par with Wulver.
Aug 14, 2018
 
Rated: 4.89 by JamieDuncan from Maryland

Aug 14, 2018
Photo of Treyliff
Reviewed by Treyliff from West Virginia

4.31/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
750ml bottle poured into a snifter

A- pours a deep brown color with a one-finger off-white head that has short retention before settling to a ring around the edge

S- huge barrel aroma, sharp oak & booze soaked vanilla. Undertones of caramel and toffee, chocolate molasses & fig

T- as expected with the nose, plenty of barrel flavor; bourbon, woody oak, vanilla & caramel. Undertones of tobacco, dark cherry & chocolate.

M- medium body with low carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel and finish

O- bold barrel notes mesh with smooth caramel, toffee and dark fruit, good stuff
Feb 09, 2018
 
Rated: 4.33 by Duffman79 from Connecticut

Dec 04, 2017
 
Rated: 4.25 by BarleyAndBrett from California

Oct 28, 2017
 
Rated: 4.43 by Original_Gravity from Washington

Oct 28, 2017
 
Rated: 4.47 by MJSFS from Florida

Oct 13, 2017
Photo of PBRmeasap1980
Rated by PBRmeasap1980 from Indiana

4/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
2014... brown sugga
Oct 07, 2017
 
Rated: 3.39 by Nightmare1972 from Maryland

Oct 04, 2017
 
Rated: 4.21 by wjbent from Florida

Sep 25, 2017
Photo of mschrei
Reviewed by mschrei from Illinois

4.53/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Bottled 1/6/16. Got it as a Christmas gift last year from my brother.

Dark, thinning edges, healthy lacing. Smell is boozy barrel and sweet malt. Taste is molasses and bourbon. Feel is a pleasant middle ground between harsh oiliness and smooth cleanliness. Damn good beer.
Sep 08, 2017
 
Rated: 4.28 by bcsbeer from Florida

Aug 08, 2017
 
Rated: 4.16 by von_kaiser from Connecticut

Aug 01, 2017
 
Rated: 4.25 by afsdan from Colorado

Jul 31, 2017
Photo of KensWorld
Reviewed by KensWorld from Florida

3.95/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4
From cellared 750ml bottle dated 1/6/16.

I remember this being one of my first big Beers i ever had from CCB back when they opened, green wax dipped bottle I think? . I can't say I remember how it tasted but I sure remember it's punch. Like getting slammed by a skinhead at a Cuban Club show back in the late 1980s. This is a sleeper of a beer. Extreamly smooth and silky yet it creeps up on you. Very good example of Scotch style. Only problem is there is hardly any bourbon presence. Slam on!
Jun 07, 2017
Photo of Slack
Reviewed by Slack from Virginia

4.48/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
No date but has the glass package emblem and received via trade 1.5 years ago
750 ml
?$

Dark Brown and clear with a nice head that settles to a solid ring. Nice legs as well.

Nose is subtly sweet, with all minor notes of bourbon, oak, vanilla, dark fruit, and smoke.

Taste is bourbon and caramel mixed with malt, oak, vanilla, minor dark fruit, minor booze, and minor earthy peat.

Mouthful is medium and smooth with just a hint of aggression. Carbonation is average. Finish is sweet.

Super duper bourbon barrel Scotch Ale. Perhaps it is the additional aging but the balance here is exceptional. No one note rules the nose or taste. Everything has mellowed out. Very drinkable. Very enjoyable. Seek it out.
Apr 29, 2017
Big Sound - Bourbon Barrel-Aged from Cigar City Brewing
Beer rating: 97 out of 100 with 671 ratings