Orkney Brewery (Sinclair Breweries) Dark Island Reserve

Dark Island Reserve

 

Orkney Brewery (Sinclair Breweries) in Stromness, Orkney, Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

  Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy Regular
Score
7.69
ABV: 10.0% IBU: - Ticks: 143
Dark Island reserve is a rich strong Orcadian Ale. After a gentle fermentation at our brewery, the beer is finished in old oak casks formerly used to mature fine scotch malt whisky. This unhurried process creates a timeless classic full of fruit, spice, oak and roast malt flavours.
 

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8.3
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9

Pours black ,. Small white head. Smell is bit roasty. Taste is full, fleshy, oak, dark malts. Very subtile, dark aroma’s of dried fruits. Very complex brew. A slow sipper , very nice

Tried on 01 Nov 2016 at 15:42


7.8
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 9

Bottle at home, 15th October 16. Pours dark brown, almost black, no head. Aroma, dark fruit seeped in liquor, black treacle, molasses. Taste is black treacle, barrel, slight whiskey well integrated, some spice, slight heat, with prune and date in the finish.

Tried from Bottle on 15 Oct 2016 at 14:40


7.6
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

Brown bottle, 75 cl, brewed on September 24 2013, bottled on November 15, purchased at Binny’s - Lincoln Park, savoured on September 8 2016; eye: black, opaque, ring of beige head, no lacing; nose: molasses, malt, ink, slight fig, slight chocolate, light vanilla; mouth: molasses, malt, ink, light fig, slight alcohol, light whisky, slight chocolate, light vanilla, finale in molasses with slight presence of whisky, medium-full body, below-average carbonation, slightly sweet, slick texture; overall: fine FRANÇAIS Bouteille brune, 75 cl, 10 %, brassée le 24 septembre 2013, embouteillée le 15 novembre, achetée chez Binny’s - Lincoln Park, savourée le 8 septembre 2016; œil : noire, opaque, anneau de mousse beige, pas de dentelle; nez : mélasse, malt, encre, très léger figue, très léger chocolat, léger vanille; bouche : mélasse, malt, encre, léger figue, très léger alcool, léger whisky, très léger chocolat, léger vanille, finale en mélasse avec très légère présence de whisky, corps moyen-corsé, carbonatation sous la moyenne, très légèrement sucrée, texture coulante; en résumé : bien

Tried from Bottle on 08 Sep 2016 at 17:51


7.6
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 7.5

750ml bottle from Bacchanalia. Somewhere between very dark brown and oil-slick black. Flat, no head. Whisky, honey, bitter cooking chocolate, and a touch of yeast extract. Fantastic gooey sweet boozy taste with caramel and a hint of sea salt. More salted caramel and prune in the aftertaste. Thick only body. Doesn’t taste anywhere near 10%. Excellent stuff.

Tried from Bottle on 31 Aug 2016 at 15:19


7.8
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Bottle (as drk isld rsrv in swing top bottle from beer gonzo). Pours dark brown. Aroma is peat, malt, whisky. Flavor is sweet and bitter, peat, tar, dark chocolate, malt. Overall: very nice, very barrel driven tho.

Tried from Bottle on 25 Jun 2016 at 11:49


7.1
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

Bottle shared thanks to Paulo. A dark mahogany brown coloured pour with a fading dark tan head. Viscous. Aroma is aged, plummy figgy pudding, airy malts, a little salty umami. Flavour is composed of semi sweet, salty airy malts, plummy jammy fruits, little age, but nice complexity. Palate is semi sweet, moderate carbonation, little airy. Lingering black malts.

Tried from Bottle on 11 Jun 2016 at 09:43


7
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

From a 330ml bottle on 3/6/2016 (bottled 27/3/2015, Gyle no. 954). Pours the darkest brown with pretty much no head. The aroma features some light whisky notes, dark and dried fruit, and is quite vinous in character. Taste wise, it’s quite sharp and sweet, with cherries, prunes, chocolate and soy. There’s a good dash of whisky, and a light acidic bitterness. The texture is slightly syrupy and the carbonation soft. Desmond has proclaimed this his fave beer of all time, but it’s not really my cup of tea. A reasonably enjoyable sipper, but at around $23 a bottle, it just doesn’t go close to working as a value proposition.

Tried from Bottle on 03 Jun 2016 at 05:54


8
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Shared bottle at Cardinal, Stavanger. Pours deep brown with off-white head. Aroma of chocolate, licorice, smoke, whiskey, some alcohol. Tastes slightly sweet. Low carbonation, medium bodied.

Tried from Bottle on 29 Feb 2016 at 13:45


7
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Bottle: Poured a black brown with bubble tan head. Aroma is smokey peat, malty and fruit. Taste is fruity, boozy, berry.

Tried from Bottle on 15 Feb 2016 at 22:59


7.9
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

Bottle shared at JoeT’s house during RBWG 2016. Pours rich brown with a slight off-white head. Lots of ripe dark fruits in the nose, some earthy leather, hints of toffee and cocoa. Medium to heavy sweet flavor with slight oxidation, caramel, toffee, figs, dates, toffee, vanilla. Full bodied, oily, with fine carbonation. Warming finish with toasty toffee, dark bread, raisins, more figs, hints of cocoa, leather. Great stuff overall. Really good depth.

Tried from Bottle on 04 Feb 2016 at 22:34