Innis and Gunn Rum Cask Oak Aged Beer

Innis and Gunn Rum Cask Oak Aged Beer (2011)
Brewed and Bottled by Innis and Gunn Brewing Co., in Edinburgh, Scotland. UK.
Year Round (Standard Release)
25.4  fl. oz /  $7.99 USD  / 7.4% ABV

Note: I first heard of Innis and Gunn beer from watching Simon of "Real Ale Guide" (Review Here), a reviewer on youtube whom I subscribe to. He's a lively young chap from the UK and he's got a Wife as cute as can be. (Gotta admit too, Ive been watching her channel a little more than his lately). His enthusiasm for their special Canada Day 2011 brew got me desperately wanting to try anything of theirs. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything in all the stores which I traveled... until Now! Just as I was getting ready to have the hooch dealer order me a few bottles, there they were on the shelf. Let's see if it lives up to the heavy expectation.

About The Brew: "Malts: Golden Promise and Crystal / Hops: Phoenix. "We are delighted to present this unique limited bottling of Innis and Gunn finished in oak barrels which previously contained navy rum. Maturation in special oak barrels imparts Navy rums with the sweet, spicy character for which they are renowned. Every single drop spent half of that time in American oak barrels before being refilled into selected navy rum barrels to finish the lengthy maturation. Once the beer had absorbed the unique character the barrels were emptied, the beer blended and then maturation continued for a further 47 days until all of the flavors had married together and mellowed."

Thoughts: Pours a dark auburn red with a 3/4 inch chestnut head that fades in about thirty seconds. Carbonation bubbles rise slowly.

 

Wow... that smells strong. Roasted caramel, very nutty, somewhat fruity. I'm getting a lot of that oak overall.

Maybe I haven't gotten around much, but this tastes like nothing I've ever had before. The oak from those rum barrels, not to mention the rum itself from inside that oak, mixes in here and damn does it ever come off sweet. There's mellow spices at the end of each gulp. Vanilla, toffee, caramelized fruit... this is a beautifully complex brew with different flavors bouncing all over the place and all of them taste wonderful. It's like one of those fruit and nut breads, or pies, only liquified. This is honestly one of the best beers I ever drank. 

Medium bodied, spicy on the tongue, goes down rather smoothly.

 

This is truly, a treasure to behold. Definitely a perfect score on this one. As it warms you get a lot more of that oak in the scent. As if you're drinking it straight out of the barrel. It kinda makes me wish they'd make their own brand of toothpicks out of one of them. I'd be sucking on one of those all day long. There's even the slightest hint at the end of chocolatey coffee beans. Overall it's a damn fine beer with a decent alcohol content that just tastes stunning. I can't wait to try their newer Cask blends which are coming out next year, and hopefully I'll get around to tasting more of their other brews that I've missed.