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

Can from Fountainhall Wines. It pours lightly hazy golden - blonde with a quickly dissipating white head. The aroma is bright slightly unripe banana, tangy, twist of orange, peppery, clove, chilli, biscuit, cracker and some orchard fruits. The taste is crisp, dry, snappy, warming spice, peppery, clove, crunchy green banana, toasty wheat grains, bread and some estery fruits with a drying finish. Medium body and moderate, foamy. Quaffable. Nice subtle spice to it.

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

Can from Westhill Service Station. It pours near black a small khaki head. The aroma is bitter - sweet, deep roasted malt, dark chocolate, cacao nibs, jammy fruits, vinous, fortied wine, victoria sponge cake, dandelion & burdock and plum wine. The taste is smooth, dark roasted malt, juicy, tangy dark fruits, plum, date, prune, blackcurrant, bramble, cherry, bourbon, warming booze, touch of tannin, Dandelion & Burdock, bourbon soaked oak and cacao nibs with a fruity finale. Fulsome body and average carbonation. Interesting with a lovely depth of flavour.

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

Can from Luvians, St Andrews. It pours crystal clear pale yellow - gold with a thick, fluffy white head. The aroma is soft, sweetish, nice stone fruit character, dried apricot, nectarine, tinned peach, peach melba, raspberry, herbal accents and crisp biscuit. The crispy, dry, snappy, clean malt base, quite juicy, bright, pithy, zesty, orange peel, tinned peach, apricot, mango chunks, orange blossom, tart berry and coriander seeds/herbal vibes with a bone dry finish. Light+ body and moderate+ foamy carbonation. Super crispy and quenching. Nice one.

Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 6.5 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7

Can from Tesco. Hazy pink body with a few flecks beneath a thin white head. Low carbonation. No lacing. Aroma of cherry and raspberry. Flavour of sour cherry and cranberry. Thin to medium body with a smooth texture. Soft fizz. An interesting, cherry based beer.

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

Honey-flavoured stout by this accomplished craft brewery in Scotland; from tap at the Maxime Hotel in Stonehaven, which had a whole series of Six Degrees North beers on tap - too bad I was too exhausted to taste more of them after the trip to Dunnottar Castle... Thin and open, pale greyish beige, cream-lacing head dissipating over a near-black robe with burgundy glow. Aroma of roasted walnuts, coffee grounds, chicory, charcoal, dried blackcurrants, petrichor, 'natural' iron (blood), cigar tobacco and perhaps a vague flowery aspect of honey tucked away in the background. Clean onset, somewhat neutral at first, stingy carbon dioxide adding consistent minerality; notes of blackcurrants and dried elderberries, low in sweetness but still some, with smooth, perhaps rather thin but nevertheless pleasantly oily mouthfeel. Dry-caramelly maltiness with layers of charred toast and cold black coffee on top, while this minerality keeps running underneath it all; dry dark berry notes linger till the end, but I believe these 'mellowing' accents may come forth from the honey, which is otherwise as good as undetectable. Long roasty bitter finish with prronounced herbal hop bitterness too, a tad ashy in the end but in any case agreeably drying. Flavoured with honey this stout may be, but it is very far removed from the pastry nonsense we see so often today: I think the honey has simply fermented away, leaving nothing but vague flowery and berry-like elements over what is essentially a well-crafted 'northern' style dry stout. Loved it.

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

Old rating - A 330ml bottle brought back from Scotland by my wife. It pours a light amber colour with a white head. Aromas & tastes of apple, apricot, flora, juniper & hints of pepper. A little high in carbonation. Dry slightly bitter finish. Decent.

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

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

Can picked up at Fountainhall Wines, Stonehaven. It darkest brown to black with a dissipating khaki head. The aroma is freshly made whisky fudge, Scottish tablet, caramac, toffee crisp, dried fruits, raisin, date, fig, cherry, vanilla, cherry Bakewell and toasty malt. The taste is slick, thick, oily, toasty, bitter - sweet, charred oak, umami, liquorice allsorts, burnt toast, whisky fudge, toffee, tablet, savoury edge to it, banana bread, dandelion & burdock, plum pudding and burnt sugar with a warming and roasty finale. Fulsome body, limited carbonation and oily mouth. Lovely depth of flavour, but more carbonation would really lift this.

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

Can from Westhill Service Station. It pours very dark borne with a dissipating khaki head. The aroma is sweet - sour fruits, raisin, sultana, jammy cherry, crunchy nut cornflakes, date, fruit cake, rum soaked oak, rum banana and malt loaf. The taste is initially drying, woody, tannin, leather, bitter - sweet, sweet - sour tangy fruits, raisin, currants, cherry, date scone, nip of boozey warmth and rum soaked oak with a drying finish. Medium body and fine carbonation. Nice depth of flavour. Enjoying the rum vibes. Could be done with a touch more carbonation though.