Innis & Gunn Rum Cask Oak Aged Beer - Innis & Gunn

BierStein711

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bottle poured into nonic

Two finger beige head, brown body

Smells like Belhaven had a baby with Sailor Jerry, but that's a good thing.

Tastes: like Captain and Belhaven, but smooth and delicate. The finish is what gets you, because you can taste the warmth of the Rum accents.

Mouthfeel: Thick

Overall, have this on a winter's night. It'll get you closer to the hearth without burning your bum.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2013 04:19:31 | More by BierStein711

pjkelley82

New York

4.63/5  rDev +21.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75

My favorite beer so I am biased... I'm sorry... I've tried a few other wee heavys but this one takes the cake with no competition in sight.... I'm not saying theres not a better wee heavy out there but rum cask is exceptional... had it at a beer event on tap and it was so disgusting that it was phenomenal. All the descriptions as far as taste mouthfeel and smell are dead on.... This is a beer that will not disappoint

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2013 06:01:06 | More by pjkelley82

Heavenisbeer

Georgia

3.68/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: A dark translucent brown, reminiscent of oak and rum, with a soapy white pillowy head that dies quickly.

S: That's a barrel-aged beer for sure; spiced rum-forward with some oak, molasses, butter, and dark fruits (and some pear, oddly). Drinking this in May, but has the nose of a winter warmer. Excellent.

T: Watered down rum, light dashes of raisin and pear, and a slight oak-tinge are the mainstays, with a faint vanilla underbelly. Grassy hops in the finish.

M: Surprisingly light, although I've had the original and it's similar in body. Very little carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2013 03:40:14 | More by Heavenisbeer

Givemebeer

New Jersey

4.54/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Not sure why this beer gets so much hate on this site. For the price, it is hard to find a more complex yet well balanced beer that has been barrel aged. Malty, soft notes of vanilla and rum blended together very well make this beer one of my favorites and also a must try.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 17:16:43 | More by Givemebeer

emyers

Illinois

3.55/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. clear bottle poured into a Sam Adams perfect pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a hazy amber-brown with a half-inch white head.

Smell: Rum, oak, sweet caramel. The rum and oak are fairly muted, but definitely present. Smell is very sweet. Could use some more complexity.

Taste: Similar to the smell - a lot of caramel sweetness with some rum and some oak. Nice flavors, but it feels like it's missing something. Could definitely be more complex, and the rum flavor could be a bit bolder.

Mouthfeel: Pretty thin, but very smooth and drinkable. Medium carbonation.

Overall: Some good things going on, but I'd like to see the flavor profile developed a little more.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2013 02:05:15 | More by emyers

nancyjblake1

New Hampshire

5/5  rDev +31.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Wonderful beer, no nasty aftertaste, just dark enough ale for a stout drinker, lovely aroma, very smooth. Now on my top of the heap ale list. The Seacoast area of New Hampshire is becoming a "beer destination". Many new micro breweries and I actually get a great selection at the supermarket. This bottle was from a Market Basket and they were 3 for $12. I am visiting Edinburgh in two weeks and I can't wait to have this on tap.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 15:58:29 | More by nancyjblake1

UCLABrewN84

California

3.7/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Pours a clear dark copper with a foamy tan head that settles to a partial film on top of the beer. Tiny dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of toasted malt, caramel, and some woody aromas. There is also a slight metallic aroma that comes out more as the beer warms. Taste is much the same with rum, vanilla, and woody flavors on the finish. There is a caramel sweetness that lingers on the palate after each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer but the rum presence is only coming through in the taste and even then it's pretty subdued.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 01:50:08 | More by UCLABrewN84

pkalix

California

4.18/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

super dark mahogany pour. little head on top.
smell is of alcohol burn, really! hard alcohol.... there is some toffee and fruit aroma in the sniff too.
taste has that alcohol burn too! it's really interesting in that it tastes 'hotter' than the 6.8% and it does have a rum taste to it. some unidentifiable fruit taste, maybe figs or something.
this is an odd brew. i can see getting used to it, but it is not your 'run-of-the-mill' brew and after reading more about the brewery i understand why. i also wonder if there isnt a stronger abv, somehow, as i feel a little bit more of the alcohol.
the taste has a fullness to it, with the fruit and toffee, and a small bitterness at the end. there is a smokiness which i am not fond of, however.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 01:13:23 | More by pkalix

spokeydonkey

New York

4.35/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a large bottle (1 pt, 9.4 oz) into an Ommegang tulip pint glass. A georgeous dark brown/red and clear with a thin white head on top.

Smells of rum, molasses, brown bread.

Tastes immediately of light molasses and vanilla. Subtle rum flavor behind it with a barely noticeable alcohol heat. Very very malt forward, but not too sweet. Just enough hops to give it a nice crisp finish.

Fairly light bodied for a beer of such character. It tastes a lot fuller than it feels--which is good, since I can keep drinking it without filling up. Fairly low carbonation keeps it smooth and easy drinking.

Overall--I really don't like this style much, but this beer is amazingly well balanced and complex. I'd definitely grab some whenever I can afford it.

Some minor dings: clear bottle (though no hint of skunkiness here) and an odd suggestion on the bottle to serve at 4-6 celcius (that's way too cold and hides the complexities of this beer).

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 02:32:37 | More by spokeydonkey

scootny

New York

3.98/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Nice rocky head that leaves some lace here and there. Very clear light mahogany color. All the right smells with dark molasses, toffee, and rum personality. Taste is smooth and malty with an oaked rum over the whole thing. Vanilla and mild cherry merge with rum and dark sugar and roasted grains. Thickish weight and feel with a delightful, smooth and mild carbonation. An excellent brew that in spite of the elevated abv lends itself to session drinking at a slightly slower pace

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2013 22:19:42 | More by scootny

gr0g

New Jersey

4.14/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Mahogany colored, capped with a fizzy one-finger head. With no lace formation, the appearance is nice but unremarkable. Caramel and toffee notes on the nose. Sweetness, like brown sugar is apparent. Notes of oak and rum-soaked fruit.

Malt-forward flavor yet nicely balanced. Hop bitterness picks up toward the finish. Toffee and honey flavors, some fruity esters. Subtle contributions from the oak. Texture is thin, a bit fizzy at first, but it works out pretty well and allows the flavors to linger on the palate.

The rum cask Innis & Gunn is definitely my favorite among the regularly available offerings and is a great after-dinner beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 00:46:01 | More by gr0g

WissBrauSean

Pennsylvania

4.4/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

The bottle is clear, BUT this beer is not skunky in the least and it can also be reused for homebrew, so Cheers! Homebrew points!

I poured this beer at about 55 degrees into a pint glass and it was a nice mohagany/amber colour and very clear with a thin head of tiny creamy tan bubbles that lasts as a thick ring around the glass throughout the drink leaving an archway pattern of lacing on the glass.

The aroma to first hit me out of the bottle was rum and as my nose got closer the caramel malts came through nice and strong along with molasses. I get some banana yeasties in there along with some figs, some light vanilla and a hint of white bread? Not sure on that one. Notes of alcohol.

The flavour is incredible! It's got a lot going on just as stated above. There's not much in the way of hops but mostly this beer starts off caramel sweet and as it rolls across your tongue flavours of molasses, vanilla and fig come to light half way. Nearing the end is when a banana wallup coats your tongue followed by minutest of a dry finish that can be attributed to a mix of hops and a lightly noticeable skunk taste. Last but not least is a hint of black pepper as it warms your throat and stomach from that alcohol. 7.4% ABV I believe.

The mouthfeel is smooth and not not overly sweet with a body that is lighter that I would expect but that is nice as it is easier to drink. The carbonation is mild and thankfully so because this beer would bite if it were moderate. I think its pretty balanced for being so sweet at first but that is neutralized in the finish. Some alcohol warming is noticeable.

Overall, I am going to consider this beer world class. I think that it would be. I have had only a few, but I could see this as something for a brewer to aspire to or learn from. 4 out of 5 would be on the low side, I may have to give this more.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2013 02:03:24 | More by WissBrauSean

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

3.74/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

330ml Bottle from the Ottawa LCBO for 3.15$

Appearance - Clear light brown colour with an average size fizzy off-white coloured head. There is an average amount of carbonation showing and there is some faint lacing. The head lasted for around 3-4 minutes.

Smell - Malts, caramel/butterscotch, dark fruits

Taste & Mouth - There is an average amount of carbonation and I can taste caramel/butterscotch and malts. There is also a light smokiness and some dark fruit flavour. It ends with a caramel lightly bitter aftertaste.

Overall – It's highly drinkable and while it doesn't pack a punch, it has enough flavour to keep it interesting. I can see this working well as a gateway beer to get others away from Macro's.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2013 18:22:32 | More by spinrsx

kangarooAdam59

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

On the box, it came in, it says best by Sep 2013, I didn't want to wait too long since its a clear bottle:

Into the Innis & Gunn tulip (I purchased along with the other two beers):

A: dark red/brown body with a two finger white foamy head dissipates within a minute, clingy foamy lacing left in the wake

S: rum up front, molasses (this company really likes their molasses, don't they?) light sugar

T: sweet through previously mentioned flavors

M: medium, sessionable, carbonation is felt, boozy aftertaste

O: pretty good for a Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy, I'd have this one again

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2013 17:15:00 | More by kangarooAdam59

Kremlock

Ontario (Canada)

4.18/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Deep blood orange colour, pours an off white head that settles down after 30-45 seconds. Beer is very clear.

S: Caramalization, hints of smokiness, hints of wood aromas, dark fruits and figs.

T: Caramel with some toasted bread. Figs and prune flavours come through.

M: Crisp and a very sudden dry finish.

O: Again, a great beer by these guys.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2013 18:57:53 | More by Kremlock

Brenden

Ohio

3.79/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A deep, dark reddish-brown color beer is no surprise given the clear bottle, but it's likely what I'd expect regardless. A yellow-tan head reaches between half a finger and one full finger before it drops off, not too terribly quickly. Moderate lacing is left after the thin layer of foam subsides.
The boozy aspect is well-tempered. In fact, this is a well-tempered beer all in all. The sweetness that could easily be overwhelming isn't, nor is the oak and the dryness it imparts. There's a bit of must and peat in the aroma too.
Into the flavor, a sort of smoothness combines with the woody dryness over a bready malts base alongside sweetness imparting vanilla and toffee to form the general character. Something like raisin and brown sugar contribute to the sweet undertone, and there's a note of tobacco in this beer as well. Overall, the sweetness has more effect on the flavor than the aroma, but is far from intolerable and doesn't reach cloying.
The feel is pretty well refined considering that this beer has the potential to swing to one of at least two unpleasant extremes: cloying and sticky or overly thinned. As such, the body is just a touch light, but the smoothness makes for pleasant drinking and there's a nice bite.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 02:00:30 | More by Brenden

Infamous7100

Ohio

3.7/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

A: pours a deep brown with hints of ruby and orange highlights. It pours clear with a very thin white head.
S: after some slight agitation I was met with notes of vanilla and caramel. Following closely but not prevalent were boozy and oaky undertones. Complex and sweet smelling.
T: interesting on the pallet. The toffee and caramel flavors combine to provide a sweet backbone, but the elements of oak and slight char are there to provide a nice balance. Toward the back is where the rum/booze really stand out. It provides a nice and slightly warm finish that brings everything together.
M: low to medium carbonation with an unexpectedly thin to medium body. The hang is pleasant and sticks around for quite a while. Perhaps to more body would do well here, but its not filling.
O: an interesting and enjoyable brew. I loved the way the booze, toffee, caramel and oak all were evident but tied together well. I was also impressed on how quaffable this was. At 7.4% one might consider it a sipper, but because of the body and impressive taste, two would be justified.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2013 00:57:29 | More by Infamous7100

CloudStrife

New York

3.89/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

11.2oz bottle poured into a snifter. Clear bottle.

A: Pours a clear ruby brown with a 1 finger slightly yellowed head. Lots of visible carbonation. Not really any lacing.

S: Pretty serious barrel aroma going on here. Quite sweet with an oaky, vanilla, toffee character.

T: As anticipated from the aroma this is on the sweeter side. Reminds me a lot of a butternut rum lifesaver. The rum cask adds most of the flavor but there is scotch ale base detectable. Most of the same characteristics as the smell are in the taste.

M: Fairly light body for a scotch ale. Feels just a tad thin for what I really want this beer to be. Mouthfeel isnt too sticky considering all the sweetness.

Overall I do enjoy this beer being partial to both rum and barrel aged beers. I can see how the sweetness could be a little much for some.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2013 01:11:34 | More by CloudStrife

cyclonece09

Virginia

3.79/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 330 mL bottle into a 14 oz "pint" glass. Pours a deep red, almost maroon, with a small white head that leaves little lacing. The fizzy malty rum aroma dominates, but it is not surprising at all by the description. Tastes of fizzy rum with nice dark malt base. Beer is highly carbonated, light/medium bodied beer goes down smooth. Overall a very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2013 04:20:07 | More by cyclonece09

RoninTK3

Rhode Island

4/5  rDev +5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Nice amber/bronze color with almost no lacing at all.

S - Vanilla, rum, oak, caramel, and alcohol. All very subtle.

T - Lots of oak. The rum also comes through heavily. Notes of vanilla and caramel. The 7.4 ABV isn't apparent at all. Very malty, balancing the rum and oak nicely.

M - Light bodied and very smooth with mild, but present carbonation.

This is a very nice scotch ale. Definitely a sipper. Finishing off my Innis & Gunn holiday gift pack, this was definitely the stand out of the bunch.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2013 02:39:17 | More by RoninTK3

Rmufb71

4.13/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I bought a case of this awhile back I really enjoyed it, It had a vanilla note to it and was an enjoyable sipping beer, I liked it on the cooler side 40F, but it was not bad once it warmed it up either. I still have a bottle or 2 tucked away, but so far I havent found a reason to drink them.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 01:10:47 | More by Rmufb71

wvsabbath

West Virginia

3.25/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Serving Type - Bottle

Appearance - Copper tan, brown with a creamy 1 inch foamy with a ton of lacing.

Smell - Nice mix of caramel, vanilla, oak, rum and whiskey. Some spices, brown sugar and molasses.

Taste - Pretty much on par with the smell, start off with caramel, vanilla and rum mixed with added suagrs. Mild, a little weak really but balanced well. Some sweet fruits like cherry and apple come out in the finish.

Mouthfeel - Tounge gets rum, malts and vanilla. Palate gets fruits, sugars and more oak. The aftertaste is weak/watery rum and malts.

Overall - Its decent, but not worth the money. Id enjoy this more if id never have traquir backwoods bastard. Too mild on the flavors, kind of like a starter wee heavy. Not a fan of any innis beers so far.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2012 01:27:47 | More by wvsabbath

Nitro-Boy

Illinois

4.9/5  rDev +28.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Come on Guys... This stuff is Amazing!!!! Smooth drinkable. Not anything like a typical Scotch Ale. This is sooo... Drinkable it sucks its $12.99 a 4 Pack.Even there regular brew one is awesome!!!! But all Beers are NOT creteated Equal!! One of my all time favorites. Another Must Try!!!

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 01:32:23 | More by Nitro-Boy

Luigi

North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours out a rich clear ruby color with a two finger light tan creamy head.

The aroma is sweet and smokey, reminding me of a fine bourbon. Caramel, smoked malt, and a butter dialectal aroma. Sweet aged Jamaican rum come to mind.

Sweet and smoke hit the palate at full force. Now I am a fan of aged whiskey and rum, this ale brings out the best of both worlds. The taste is sweet like rum and harsh like a fine whiskey. Caramel, toffee, bourbon, and sweet rum. Fruits like sour apple, plums, and a candy like sweetness from the alcohol.

Smooth and slick on the palate, yet easy to drink if you are familiar with fine whiskey and rum.

Overall this ale is a combination of whiskey and ale. Given my Scottish roots maybe this ale hit my drunken funny bone. But, this is a fine and top notch ale!!! Just give it a try

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2012 06:36:48 | More by Luigi

Immortale25

Florida

2.5/5  rDev -34.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured into a snifter. Bottleneck says May 2013.

A- Pours a translucent reddish brown color with a 1/2 inch light tan head that bears little retention time before vanishing to nearly no surface foam. Minimal lacing.

S- Skunky aroma with a hint of brown sugar. Damnit.

T- Lifeless. Just a tinge of brown sugar and alcohol and then just skunk.

M- Watery with a medium body and low carbonation.

O- I've had two Innis & Gunn offerings before: the Irish whiskey cask aged and one other of the rum cask. At first, I refused to take a chance on them because of their clear glass bottles but, when someone recommended the Irish Whiskey cask to me, I bought one from Total Wine and it was great. Then, when at my local beer bar recently, the bartender recommended the Rum cask to me and I decided to give it another go. Once again, great. Even better than the Irish whiskey. So, when I saw a 4-pack of it at my local bottle shop and the best by date said May 2013, I went for it. This beer is obviously light struck and I regret wasting my money. I don't understand why this brewery insists on using clear glass especially when they're exporting this beer such a far distance. I will never buy Innis & Gunn's products again if they continue this trend. Drainpour.

I decided to give another bottle in the 4-pack a try to see if it was just a bad bottle:

A- Basically the same but with a considerably higher amount of carbonation.

S- Wet cardboard aroma that's still a bit skunky but there's some faint brown sugar and a tinge of alcohol underneath all the off aromas.

T- Neutral flavor of wet cardboard at first that gives way to some booze and the slightest amount of rum sweetness.

M- Pretty much the same but with a tad more zing from the carbonation.

O- Still certainly lightstruck and a little oxidized but this one (and the other two in the pack) were actually drinkable and didn't result in a drainpour. I'm gonna consolidate the scores from the two bottles (first one got an even 2, second one got an even 3) and give it a 2.5. Obviously these guys have serious quality control issues. They really need to start considering shelling out the extra capital to invest in colored bottles. At least go for green glass if not brown, guys....

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2012 23:30:35 | More by Immortale25