In the almost two years I've been writing beer reviews for Taste T.O., first as a weekly feature and now on a biweekly(-ish) basis, I've tried my best not to be repetitive. It's been tough sometimes, as while there are a lot of beers to choose from, and some notable differences between them, there are many basic similarities as well, and the vocabulary used to describe aromas and flavours can often feel limiting. Still, given the dozens of different beers that I've tasted and toasted in the column, I'd like to think (or hope) that I've done a fairly good job at not being redundant.
Still, there are times when avoiding self-plagiarism is next to impossible, and this is one those times. The beer under consideration for this instalment is the limited edition Rum Cask version of Innis & Gunn Oak Aged Beer, a very unique brew that should be easy to write lots of original stuff about. The trouble is that just over a year ago, I reviewed the previous limited edition I&G beer, and gave a brief backgrounder on I&G that would be a great intro to the review of this year's offering.
So great, in fact, that I'm just gonna go ahead and quote myself - with apologies for the deja vu to those who were reading last year.
In 2002, brewer Dougal Sharp of Scotland's Caledonian Brewery received an interesting proposition from whisky distillers William Grant & Sons: They wanted him to brew a beer that would be thrown away.
More accurately, they wanted him to produce an ale that would be stored in oak barrels for a month before being discarded, with the barrels then used to mature whisky, similar to the way used port, sherry and wine barrels are sometimes used. Dougal took on the challenge, brewing a strong and malty ale to be used for the process.
Of course, it didn't take long until someone to remember the old saying "waste not, want not", and workers in the distillery began filling empty bottles with the beer before it was thrown away. When word of this got back to Dougal, he decided to start bottling the brew himself, and after joining his middle name with that of his brother Neil to form the company name Innis & Gunn, he released the first bottles of his Oak Aged Beer in the summer of 2003.
In addition to producing a very unique beer (well, unique for the UK, at least - barrel-aging has become a bit of a trend amongst North American craft brewers in the last few years), Innis & Gunn have also followed a somewhat unique distribution model, dealing primarily with high-end grocery chains in the UK and state-run liquor boards in several international jurisdictions. And since our province's LCBO is one of the largest such organisations in the world, it makes sense that Ontario has been a big market for them. In fact, their flagship beer has become the top selling Scottish beer and second highest selling UK beer at the LCBO.
In the year since the text above was first written, the original I&G has become even more successful, becoming the best selling UK beer in Ontario, and also being prominently featured in the latest series of chef Gordon Ramsay's The F Word on Channel 4 in the UK. And as is the tradition, the annual limited edition version of I&G released last year in Britain is now available here in Canada.
Innis & Gunn Rum Cask is created in essentially the same way as the original I&G. The beer spends 30 days aging in new oak casks, followed by 47 days in the marrying tun (a large vat where the beer from various casks is blended) before bottling. The difference is that between cask and tun, the beer spends an additional 30 days in different casks originally used to age rum, giving it a very different appearance, aroma and flavour profile from the original.
To start with, it has a much darker reddish hue that its sibling, and a deeper and richer aroma with strong notes of spice, rum and sweet toffee. Rum also comes through prominently in the flavour, along with sweet malt and a bit of oak, and a mild spiciness in the finish. It's a warm and flavourful beer that could be enjoyed with many desserts and sweets (such as the delicious rum truffles from Eitelbach Baumkuchen Pastries that were included in the press package), or just on its own as a pleasant nightcap.
My only criticism, which is the same one I've lodged against other I&G beers, is that the fairly light body doesn't quite hold up to the flavour, although I'm sure that my strong appreciation for the barrel-aged imperial stouts and barley wines that are becoming more and more common in the US craft brewing scene may be influencing my opinion in that matter. To others, it may seem just right. Either way, it's a tasty winter treat.
Innis & Gunn Rum Cask is available now at select LCBO outlets (LCBO 95992 - $4.95/330 mL), with each bottle packaged in a stylish black gift box. Be forewarned, however, that stocks are limited, and given the popularity of the main brand, I'd be surprised if there are many bottles left out there by the time Christmas rolls around.
photo by cowfish, used as per Creative Commons license
