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Fancy a pint? Our favourite beer aged in Scotch cask

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We know, we know. We’re a whisky blog. What are we doing writing a whole post about beer?

Well, whisky and beer are kindred spirits. Cousins, you could say. (And beer aged in a Scotch cask is even closer in spirit to whisky.)

And, of course, we’ve spoken (lots of times) before the link between craft beer and whisky.

And, sadly, you can’t drink whisky all the time.

It’s more of an evening drink, an after-dinner drink (unless you’re Mark Twain, then it’s a breakfast, lunch and dinner drink). Beer aged in a Scotch cask lets you get a hint of the Scotch-y goodness a few hours earlier.

What’s so good about beer aged in a Scotch cask?

Well, lots of things.

For a start, the ethos behind it. These aren’t just beers that have been brewed, bottled and sent out at 3.4%. They’ve not been brewed to be fizzy mouthfuls of nothingness.

They’ve been brewed to be full of flavour, to celebrate the complexity of beer and to experiment with the form.

Sound familiar?

Yep. Craft beers are almost identical in spirit and intention to independent bottlings.

And now you’ve can buy beers aged in whisky casks, the two worlds have gotten even closer.

Then, of course, there’s the taste.

And, as you’ll see, this beer doesn’t hold back on taste…

Our favourite beer aged in a Scotch cask: Ola Dubh Special 18 Year Old (Harviestoun Brewery, Scotland)

This beer is something else. (And Scottish too, so you already know it’s great.)

As soon as you’ve poured this beer, its name – which comes from the Gaelic for black oil – suddenly makes a tonne of sense. The oily texture gives an incredible aroma of dark chocolate, tobacco and whisky. (Notice how, if you didn’t know we were talking about a beer, you’d think we were talking about an IB…)

As you take a sip, you notice espresso notes, an almond nuttiness and a little hit of whisky.

But then, something quite extraordinary happens.

The Highland Park 18 cask used to age this beer had previously been used to hold sherry (prior to aging the Highland Park), which means you get this incredible combination of sherry sweetness and fig flavours and caramel-ish, almost toffee, notes from the Scotch.

It’s really quite something.

You’ve got to try it – it’s a harmonious union of two worlds.

 

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