Dark Island Reserve
Orkney Brewery (Sinclair Breweries) in Stromness, Orkney, Scotland 🏴
Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy Regular|
Score
7.69
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Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8
Bottle at JoeT’s cat cabana. Opaque black liquid with small light tan head. Aroma of coffee, dried fruit, chocolate, biscuit and Whiskey. Taste is light to medium sweet and light bitter with notes of chocolate, licorice, whisky, wood and dried fruit. Medium to full bodied with medium carbonation. Nice.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Bottle split at RB HQ, Santa Rosa, 04/02/16. Dark mahogany brown with a decent beige covering. Nose is dark malt, toffee, fruit cake, spice, molasses, tar. Taste comprises molasses, tar, liquorice, chocolate, fruit cake, treacle toffee. Full bodied, oily complexion, warming alcohol in the close. Solid.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Bottle shared at a tasting at Max’s place. Thanks BenH for this bottle! Bottled 15 January 2014, Gyle Number 701. Very dark brown to black, almost flat. Aroma of malt, nuts, some chocolate, caramel, toffee, lots of dark fruits, whiskey, some vanilla, some soy sauce, wood. Sweet and slightly salty flavor, with malt, caramel, soy sauce, dark fruits, chocolate, nuts, toffee, some vanilla. Nice rounded mouthfeel. Great stuff, complex.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
330ml bottle, shared. Deep black with a thin tan head. Aroma is sweet malt and smoke. Flavour is smoky, caramel and vanilla with a little alcohol on the finish. Gorgeous
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
330ml bottle @ Shrewsbury Beer Share, July 15. Pours deep dark brown, minimal head. Boozy sweet caramel aroma. Faint whisky influence. More caramel shining through with some dark fruits. Smooth, sweet and delicious.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9
Small bottle, bottled 3/15. Was never quite prepared to try a big bottle at around $A45. Label tempts me to disemvowel my review. Pretty much black with a small tan head that lasts well and never quite disappears. Smells surprisingly like normal Dark Island with hazelnuts, chocolate, pears, earth. There’s a breath of whisky too and heavily oaked red wine. Silky, low carbonation. Rather more of a whisky influence now, but still surprising how much the base beer comes through. Dried fruit, chocolate, mild roast, vanilla, meadowy herbal and spice notes. Lots of almost delicate things going on. Can’t quite tell how much is bitterness and how much is alcohol at the end. The balance is a lot of what’s impressive. I wonder whether if it develops in flavour it will keep the balance. Great beer.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
From a 75 cl bottle shared at home. Pours black with a scant tan head. Light whisky nose. Flavors of peat, charred oak and scotch whisky. Surprisingly delicate flavors. Smooth roast finish.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9
330ml flip top bottle from Beers of Europe - Black body with a red hue and a very small tan head. Nose is all over the shop - sweet with roasted malts, vanilla, leather, a load of various dark cake fruits and a boozy oak undertone. Full creamy body with very soft carbonation. flavour is sweet with oak and chocolate, as well as vanilla, prunes and some very fitting and pleasant notes of alcohol. Long nice finish of oak, sweet liquorice and vanilla.