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

Poured a clear amber colour, with a thin white head. The aroma was of caramel and malt and was rather strong. The flavour is medium to high bitter, with oaky alcoholic notes and chewy caramel. The palate is smooth and the bitterness sticks around for a while to deliver a very refreshing ale. Serve this "warm" and you won’t be disappointed. Drinking it cold destroys the flavours!

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 5.5

Bottle. It’s pouring a small, off-white head over a clear, dark golden body. The aroma has some notes of butterscotch, but is mostly fruity. Apples, pears and some notes of dried apricots. Lightly malty, very boring. Medium body, dry and softly carbonated. The flavor has a nice bitterness, with pale malts, fruityness and some faint butterscotch. Not much impact from the brandy cask staves. Bitter finish. A quite decent beer, but oh so utterly boring. 121124

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5

Bottle 500ml @ yngwie
Pours clear golden with a off-white head. Aroma has notes of malt, caramel, yeast, floral and hint of dried fruits. Taste is medium sweet and light bitter. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft.

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

Bottle from Gardiners & Haskins, Bristol. Deep amber with a decent, white head. Oranges, floral hops, a touch of boiled sweets, bready malts and a moderately bitter finish. Fine.

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

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

Dark blond, almost light copper in colour. Aroma is of pale malts and cereals. Flavour is dry and woody. There’s a fruity alcoholic hint of brandy hanging on the lips.

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

Golden colour with almost no head. Toffee aroma. I do not like all british stong beer because it is too much alcohol taste. This is a fine excample of the opposite. Lovely malty and a fine bitter finish.
[Bottle from Systembolaget Nordstan in Göteborg, Sweden]

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

Bottled 500ml (BZ, BB 08/2012)
Clear amber color, small steady white head. Light nutty malty aroma. Medium-bodied. Sticky alcoholic-bitter front, then honey-toffee sweetness fruity and nutty maltyness. Lingering light hops and alcohol in the finish. This is like something between Innis&Gunn beers and Fullers Vintage ale. Not very special flavor, but very British.

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

barnyard, basement aromas, spruce, citrus, rotten eggs, licorice, alcohol, bread, nuts, caramel, amber, cloudy, sparkling, white foam, rocky head, medium sweetness, very bitter, medium sourness, umami, full body, creamy, thin feel, lively, long finish,

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 3 | Flavor - 3 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 4

This Very Special Old Pale comes in a numbered (16741 was mine) clear 500ml bottle and frankly wasn’t Very Special at all. Head Brewer (Emma Gilleland) has signed it and stated the ingrediants produce a VSOP of exceptional character, I sadly have to disagree. Best before 30 April 2011, I drank it in late July 2010, poured into a vase shaped pint glass. The beer looked an orangey/tangerine colour, no head appeared and the beer looked flat. Very slight hop aroma, nothing to get excited about though. The taste was bland, not enough hop presence for me and the malt content did nothing too. Body was thin and lacked any form of interest, a big disappointment from start to finish.