Swannay Brewery Barrel Aged Orkney Porter (Isle of Arran)

Barrel Aged Orkney Porter (Isle of Arran)

 

Swannay Brewery in Swannay, Orkney, Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

  Porter - Imperial Special
Score
7.77
ABV: 11.5% IBU: - Ticks: 58
Aged for 18 months in Isle of Arran Bere whisky barrels and made with Orkney-grown barley, you'd be hard pressed to find a porter as Scottish as this one! That long ageing period has given it a brooding, deep brown pour that carries dark scents of chocolate-laced leather. That slightly sweet cocoa carries over onto the tongue too, where its offset with red fruit and a subdued whisky kiss.
 

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8.5
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 9

Black pour, small tan head. Aroma is loaded with roasted, chocolate malts. Soft, sweet Aroma, vanilla, oak, scotch and milk chocolate. Luscious mouth feel, soft carb. Low bitterness, sweet and decadent. Loads of chocolate, a delicious roasted espresso. The barrel is very subtle but very present at the same time. 18 months I thought for sure this would be a barrel bomb, but it's soft and subtle and really nice. Excellent beer.

Tried on 28 Feb 2025 at 06:13


7.8
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Butelka 33cl. Czekolada, wanilia, szlacheny alkohol, nutka ciemnych, suszonych owoców, bardzo delikatne, nawet ciut płaskie, praktycznie brak nasycenia ale tak to jest jak lejemy piwo z beczki, niemniej przyjemnie rozgrzewa, ogólnie bardzo dobre.

Tried on 30 Sep 2024 at 19:30


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

Bottled (from Alko). Black colour with a small brown head. Aroma is vanilla, roasted malts, some whisky sweetness as well as some wooden tones. Flavour is vanilla, chocolate, whisky, ash and some slight toffee tones. A bit ashy and roasted malts in the aftertaste. Still kinda of smooth.

Tried from Bottle on 10 Jan 2023 at 10:01


7.4
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7

Virtually black beer, with a disparate cream-tan head. Raisins, liqueur, probably orange liqueur. Liquorice overload, and again liqueur-ish. Mild roast. More than a bit sweet for a porter. Slick, oily viscous, alcoholburn. Again - sweet. Isle of Arran isn't the most pronounced malt, but it practically doesn't show here. Orkney Brewery experimented with bere decennia ago. Thanks to Stef!

Tried from Bottle on 13 Sep 2020 at 07:42


8.4
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

Des arômes de whiskey s’incorporent à un chocolat au lait intense et laissent percer des notes de cerises rappelant le gâteau forêt noir. Profil olfactif extrêmement complexe relevant des notes de chocolat noir, de caramel, de fudge. Faible perception de houblons dégageant un coté résineux. Petite mousse moka sur un liquide brun foncé, limpide, aux reflets rougeâtres. L’introduction buccale se fait dans la chaleur de Whiskey et explose littéralement en notes de caramel, de mélasse et de chocolat. Les malts torréfiés sont doux et on décèle une légère amertume de résine accentuée par l’alcool. Tout est bien en équilibre. Aucune saveur ne domine les autres. Le corps est bien rond et dodu, la carbonatation faible et l’alcool rajoute juste assez de tonus pour en faire une bière complexe et harmonieuse. Produit d’exception.

Tried on 23 Mar 2020 at 22:08


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

Bottle. Dark brown body with ruby highlights and a thin beige head. No lacing. Aroma of sultana and cranberry. Flavour of prune and a light whisky note if the finish. Medium body with a smooth texture. Subtle and easy to drink. I’m not usually a fan of BA beers but this works well.

Tried from Bottle on 16 Dec 2019 at 09:10


6.8
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Bottle, BB 10/2017. Darkest brown color with beige head. Aroma is whisky booze, caramel, chocolate. Taste is whisky, moldy wood, a touch ash, fudge. Oily mouthfeel with low carbonation. Tasty, but a bit too much wood there.

Tried from Bottle on 23 Mar 2019 at 17:26


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

330ml bottle. Darkest brown, quasi black colour with average, thick, creamy, moderately lasting and lacing, beige head. Dark malty and fruity aroma with cautious BA overtones, notes of treacle and malt lozenge, some vanilla, dried fruit, raisin, plum, a touch of chocolate and liquorice root, cocoa, liquorice. Taste is sweet-ish and minimally dry, dark malty and fruity, hints of treacle, malt lozenge, plum, raisin, apple parings. a touch of vanilla; slightly dry, woody, oaky and cocoa finish. Oily texture, minimally sticky palate, perfectly adjusted, fine and gentle, efficacious carbonation arranges for relatively high drinkability. Pretty good.

Tried from Bottle on 02 Feb 2019 at 01:18


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

330ml bottle batch #2, from cgarvieuk, cheers Craig. Black with a thin beige head. Aroma of whisky, oak, chocolate. Taste is sweet, whisky, oak, chocolate, dark fruits, raisin, caramel, alcohol. Medium body, smooth, soft carbonation. Really nice sipper.

Tried from Bottle on 16 Dec 2018 at 22:54


8.2
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Bottle 33 cl. Dark brown, with brown foam. Aroma: rich, bread crust, caramel, prunes, a little smoked, other dried fruits, a little chocolate, whisky, smoked, a little peat, ash. Taste: roasted malts, caramel, whisky, chocolate, dried fruit, a little peat, cakes, a bit strange, good one.

Tried from Bottle on 21 Nov 2018 at 21:03