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The bourbon barrel wagon trundled through Ballymahon and the Wide Street crew jumped aboard. A 14.5% ABV imperial stout, aged ten months in bourbon barrels, is out of keeping for the wild-fermentation specialists, but they've been expanding the repertoire lately, so why not?
Presenting, then, Liquid Swords, in a 75cl bottle with a €20 price sticker on top. It's a rather flat chap, not bothering to form a head and with only the faintest of carbonic vibrations in the mouth. Nor is it a sticky monster, mind, being light bodied, low in heat and, dare I say, easy to drink. Bourbon's sweet vanilla is quite absent from the picture. It tastes matured all right, but not of anything in particular that it's been matured in. Instead I get quite a savoury umami impression, in the anchovies-and-shiitake vein.
Given a moment or two to warm up, the underlying stout makes a bit of an effort, bringing some dark chocolate and light-roast coffee. That's pretty much as complex as it gets, however.
Clearly this has been designed, and priced, for the special-occasion market. Anyone new to big barrel-aged stout and apprehensive about what it brings may find themselves enjoying how accessible it is. I couldn't shake the feeling that it's rather bland given the specs. I don't want a sickly bourbon bomb but I do want more substance and more character than this displays. Perhaps releasing it fresh would have been the better move.
Clik here to view.
The bourbon barrel wagon trundled through Ballymahon and the Wide Street crew jumped aboard. A 14.5% ABV imperial stout, aged ten months in bourbon barrels, is out of keeping for the wild-fermentation specialists, but they've been expanding the repertoire lately, so why not?Presenting, then, Liquid Swords, in a 75cl bottle with a €20 price sticker on top. It's a rather flat chap, not bothering to form a head and with only the faintest of carbonic vibrations in the mouth. Nor is it a sticky monster, mind, being light bodied, low in heat and, dare I say, easy to drink. Bourbon's sweet vanilla is quite absent from the picture. It tastes matured all right, but not of anything in particular that it's been matured in. Instead I get quite a savoury umami impression, in the anchovies-and-shiitake vein.
Given a moment or two to warm up, the underlying stout makes a bit of an effort, bringing some dark chocolate and light-roast coffee. That's pretty much as complex as it gets, however.
Clearly this has been designed, and priced, for the special-occasion market. Anyone new to big barrel-aged stout and apprehensive about what it brings may find themselves enjoying how accessible it is. I couldn't shake the feeling that it's rather bland given the specs. I don't want a sickly bourbon bomb but I do want more substance and more character than this displays. Perhaps releasing it fresh would have been the better move.
