Innis & Gunn Irish Whiskey Cask

Today's beer: Irish Whiskey Cask by Innis & Gunn

I have been waiting to drink this beer for review for a while now. I had to wait until conditions were just right. The Irish Whiskey Cask is touted as a Scottish Stout on the box and one of the best times to drink a stout is when it is cold, wet and miserable outside. Since it is raining and right around 5 degrees, I figured now was a good time.

Innis & Gunn produce some fantastic beers. I have sampled most, if not all their current stock and I've found them all excellent. All their beers are aged in oak casks to give them very distinctive flavours. As the name implies, this was aged in casks that once held Irish Whiskey.

My first sniff revealed very little smell, which considering the strong flavours of the beer, was quite surprising. Even when my glass was half empty, when the smells should have been strongest, there was still virtually no smell. With the first sip, I was hit with a very strong taste of chocolate. There is also a very strong hit of alcohol, which I found curious at the time, until I read the box and discovered that it has 7.4% alcohol. Each sip also carries a hint of cigar wrapper that blends in quite nicely with the chocolate and rich malt flavours. While there are some good strong malt flavours, and I know there are hops in here some where, they don't really come forward.

Many stouts are quite heavy and filling. Guinness is often called a meal in a can. Irish Whiskey Cask is not one of these stouts. It is not heavy at all. In fact, considering the alcohol content, it may go down a little too smooth. I will definitely be drinking more of this. This beer is a limited edition batch, with only 300 barrels being made, so if you can get it, do so as it will probably be gone soon.

Rating:

May your glass always be full of good beer!