25.02.2015, 0,375l bottle sampled @ BBGTC tasting:
Small dark brown slightly bubbly shortlasting head. Aroma is dry boozy, burnt wood, peat, ashtray, booze, old rope, weeds, old leather. Taste is sweet, sugar, grass, booze, peat, old rope, ashtray, burnt wood, weeds, even more sugar. Medium bitterness, sweet and burnt mouthfeel. Not my cup of tea.

(Joined review for Peated & Islay versions). 375 ml. bottle sampled @ Yarric’s house warming. Thank you! Tried this one after 5 vintages of the regular one & next to 4 other BA versions. The base beer is a very crude best even when good, hugely bitter & alcoholic, raw, age does slightly mellow it out. Some vintages were odd & lightly sour, qualities does vary. The BA version with sweet barrels really worked well, they added a necessary sweetness to the beer, this beer can take a lot of barrel. The peated versions on the other hand really do not work for me. Peated version add supper raw medicinal peat it, zero balance, just harsh brutality. It really takes the worst potential roast, the peat carries unpleasant industrial raw medicinal qualities. Brutal in the worst fashion. Islay one is even worse adding a strange sourness which we also found in the 2009 Vintage of the regular (very heavily). I can see how the Peated one can appeal to some people but I fail to see appeal in the Islay version which felt just flawed. Peated one is BBF 15.01.19 & Islay one is BBF27.02.20. I think that 10 years need to be subtracted in order to get the bottling date looking at the other bottles & information that they were bought about 5 years go. Both version look absolutely flat which the others didn’t except for the flawed 2009 Vintage of the regular one (or possibly ravaged by age). Flat motor-oil with no head. Peated one smell like massive harsh umami in a bad way with massive medicinal peat, almost something industrial. Brutal. Taste is same harsh unpleasant overly medicinal seemingly industrial peat, scorched earth, zero complexity, rad bitter roast & bitter unpleasant medicines, massively boozy & pretty much flat. Meh. Isaly version smells even more industrial & peated, even more horrible peat with mild sourness. Taste is rotting sour berries & horribly heavy medicinal & industrial peat, cigarette butts, pretty much flat. Awful. Peated: 2.9/5 & Islay 1.9/5.