Smugglers Grand Cru
St. Austell Brewery

750 ml corked "champagne" bottle from Vinoble / Voldby Købmandsgård, shared at local tasting Hazy dark brown colour. Strong malty and spicy aroma, notes of alcohol. Very carbonated, warming mouthfeel. The flavour is rich and malty, with mild spicy notes. The alcohol is clearly noticeable.

Strange rendition of a barleywine but very interesting and enjoyable regardless.

Pours a translucent mahogany color with a one inch white head.

Nose is tobacco, vanilla, booze, and caramel.

Taste: caramel malt, dark fruits, wood, vanilla, and a lingering vinous note. Champagne yeast certainly adds to the vinous aspect and accentuates the oak qualities.

Mouthfee: again, champagne yeast is quite dominant. Dries it out a lot and has a strong carbonation to go with the dryness.

Overall; pretty damn interesting, complex, and drinkable with the tight/dry carbonation off-setting the high abv. Would recommend picking up if you see it.

750 ML poured into a tulip
bottle 464
9 months on whisky casks

A-- Poured a dark orange amber color. Pretty hazy and murky looking. Lots of visible carbonation. Darned Champagne yeast. Two finger off white head that steeled to a thick film. Good lacing with this and stuck around through drinking.

S-- Soft at first but once opened up got oak, whisky, dark fruits, toffee and a lot of booze. Booze is the operative word.

T-- Lots of prickly carbonation followed by toffee, fruitcake, whisky, oak, and more booze.

M-- Big, full on feel. Lots of carbonation. Does not mix really. In the mouth a lot of oak and whisky that overpowers the fruit. Just a full on beer.

O-- Champagne yeast and Barleywines do not mix. Felt like I was being clubbed over the head with the carbonation and the barrel. WAY over the top. Probably a really nice barleywine at 8% without the yeast and too long in the barrel. Hard drinker. Share with a lot of friends or take the next day off of work after a bottle of this.

For starters this brew was a hard one to categorise as it is a strong ale aged in whiskey casks for 9months and then bottled using the methode champagnoise and this is bottle 349.

A-Pours a dark blood orange murky hue which leaves a big three finger foamy head and some lacing here and there.

S-It starts off with dark fruits but as it warms i get more of the whiskey,caramel,toffee and sticky date pudding.

T-Whiskey but only a nice light hint just enough to be noticed then followed by caramel,toffee,raisins,a touch of nuttiness mixed with oak and finished with a semi dry light booziness.

M-Medium bodied and semi dry,it could be thicker in my eyes but the lighter body does make the booziness not as prominent.

O-A very interesting drop and i like the uniqueness about it as you definately taste the different processes it has been through and would be one that ages well i think cheers.