Innis & Gunn Rum Cask (Rum Aged/Oak Aged Beer)

Brewed By: Innis & Gunn Brewing Company in Edinburgh, Scotland (brewed at Wellpark (C&C Group) in Glasgow)

Purchased: 11.2oz single from an I&G gift pack bought at Malloy's Finest Wine & Spirits in Naperville, IL; 2013 

Style/ABV: English Strong Ale, 6.8%

Reported IBUs: ?

Tonight's beer was a random grab. As they go. I saw the Innis & Gunn gift pack at the store, and it was retailing for 10 dollars. The gift set comes with three beers and a glass. It's nothing fancy but my hope is that these beers are relatively fresh, and hey, glass. About Innis & Gunn:

Innis & Gunn are a brewery based out of Edinburgh, Scotland. The brewery was founded in 2003, but began when Dougal Sharp walked into his father's brewery and decided to become a brew master at the Caledonian Brewery. In 2002 the William Grant distillery asked Dougal to flavor barrels for their cask reserve whisky. The brewers noticed that the barrel-aged beer was delicious, so they started aging the beer in the barrels. You can read more about that story HERE. In 2003 Innis & Gunn was born. 

Anyway...tonight's beer, the Innis & Gunn Rum Cask, is matured over oak heartwood, and infused with rum. I'm not 100% sure what the base beer is...the back of the bottle says -- "This ruby red beer has been aged with rum oak chips, resulting in a brew with a delicious warming character that is bursting with fruit and warming spiciness. These vibrant flavours perfectly balance the beer's toffee-malt backbone which have led it to win numerous awards around the world." -- into the glass she goes.

Innis & Gunn Rum Cask

The beer pours into a reddish-brown, transparent body, and kicks up a finger of tan/brown head. The head doesn't hang around for long. Bright light confirms much of the same...a reddish-orange beer, with a ring of white around the edge of the top of the glass.

On the aroma...fruits, man. I'm getting a lot of Scotch Ale and Marzen-like aromas. Big raisins, toasted malts, caramel and toffee, some fruit cake, maybe some dark sugars...and a hint of woody essence and spice. I don't know if I would peg rum on the aroma in a blind tasting, but I see where you might get that.

Hmm...this beer is subtle. It's very malty and fruity, with raisins up front, tons of sweet caramel and toffee, that caramel/kettle note you get in Scotch Ales and Marzens, some mild toast and nuttiness, and way in the back is some oak and vanilla, and a little rum and spice. The oak and rum does come through in this beer, and the beer finishes fantastically. The finish is the best part of this beer. You get hit with this vanilla-clove-banana-rum note, and the beer fades out. It's really nice stuff. 

This is stupid drinkable for 6.8%. That's actually a reasonable ABV, and this beer smashes any hint of alcohol. This is growing on me as I sip it...at first I was really underwhelmed, but this is unraveling like a classy Scotch Ale. I'm reminded of the Traquair House Ale, which is just a fantastic beer. This one is medium-bodied, with good carbonation. Palate depth is good, and the complexity is good as well. When you think "rum barrel" you probably think of some crazy American beer...curb your expectations and this will please. You get caramel/toffee/toast malts and raisins up front; that rolls into a huge wash of malts, with big toast, nuttiness, and some yeast funk; the back end dials up some spice, and you get hit with subtle oak/vanilla, rum, and the beer fades out on this blissful rum-vanilla note. Subtle. Good. I'd pick this up again.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Above-Average on this. Very nice stuff...but subtle. Keep that in mind. This beer is all about the malts and the subtle barrel. You can probably pair this with something like ribs, or lightly charred/grilled meats. This will also pair well with a hearty stew or wintery foods. In fact, I feel like this beer could be advertised as a winter warmer. And hey, it's below zero outside so that works out perfectly. 

Random Thought: I really hate the clear bottles. The clear bottles are a crime against beer. Here's the deal. When I bought this gift pack, the bottles came in a box. I've seen Innis & Gunn singles just wasting away on sun-lit shelves in stores, and that is a fucking shame. This is some Corona or New Castle level of bullshit, and it's gimmicky and stupid and a crime against basic beer preservation. Put your beer in a brown bottle.