Bottle (2012). Almost black color, weak brown foam. Aroma: wine, caramel, port wine, chocolate, raisins, whisky, dark dried fruit, sweetness, mighty, esters, very good. Taste: sweet, port wine, dried fruits, prunes, black raisins, caramel, whisky, apple, powerful, cool, soft, very good, warm, great stuff.

750 ml bottle. Pours black with light head. Aromas of treacle, light scotch, dark chocolate and slick roasted malts. Flavors of molasses, lightly smoky scotch, coconut, espresso, and oily roasted malts. Complex. Excellent.

One of the second generation Black Damnations, aged in Talisker barrels. Brown-tinged beige head, very moussy but needing a bit of forcing to form, over a black beer with mahogany edges. Aroma of fondant chocolate bars, dry peat and indeed whisky yet seemingly a bit more subtle in comparison with other whisky barrel aged variants in this series, butterscotch, leather, warm toast, roasted hazelnuts, glue, nutmeg, liquorice, fried black olives, shoe polish. Sweetish dried fig- and blackcurrant-tinged onset with sourish roasted barley below, subtle accents of fried banana, porcini and cured meat, softish carb, very thick and oily mouthfeel. Toasted walnut-, rye bread toast- and fondant chocolate-like, thick maltiness, bittersweet with more expressive coffeeish roasted bitterness towards the finish, accentuated by spicy hop bitterness and a peppery, but not overly wry, obviously very whisky-like alcohol flavour and heat; woody tannins from the casks linger at the back, adding depth and complexity. Relatively ‘clean’ (as Talisker itself is) and a bit less boozy than most others in this series – and for that reason, among the best of these new BDs for me.