Innis & Gunn Spiced Rum Finish - Innis & Gunn

sinstaineddemon

Connecticut

3.2/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A - shiny coppery color with a half finger of light tan head, heavy swift small carbonation keeps the head alive for a few extra minutes

S - a great liquor sweetness, knowing its source helps place it, not sure if I would be able to if I didn't know already. The oak is far more obvious, that rich thick vanilla woodsiness that I have come to love in oak aged brews

T - The oak is the biggest element in this version, the thick sweetness of liquor is present and the illusion of the spiced version of rum is there but I can't tell if its the power of suggestion or if I can really taste it.

M&D&O - thinner than expected, sweet and malty without being overpowering but the body leaves something to be desired. Soooo close...

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2012 00:25:34 | More by sinstaineddemon

cindyjeffsmith

Georgia

4.08/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

appearance: clear amber. Respectable off white head.
smell: Butterscotch and more! Surprisingly hefty and quite good nose. Vanilla, oak, toffee and well...spiced rum. Gourmet butterscotch.
taste: Not quite up to the nose but a nice version.
overall: Looking back, I may have been overly enthusiastic bout my first Innis. A nice treat but not as maybe not as great as I thought a couple years ago. Have to revisit. This is quite good.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2012 23:17:11 | More by cindyjeffsmith

rangerred

Tennessee

3.88/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

11.2oz bottle into an Innis and Gunn tulip.

Pours a clear ruby/copper with a half finger white head that quickly fades into a ring around the side of the glass. Nothing in the way of lacing.

Aroma has lots of butterscotch along with wood and toffee. A little bit of orange citrus is also present in the background.

The flavor really has quite a bit going on. There is overwhelming butterscotch up front but the fades rather quickly yielding numerous other flavors. Wood is there along with vanilla and a bit of a citric tartness. Orange is what comes to mind along with some spice. You can definitely tell this was aged on spice rum chips.

Overall, a decent beer that is pretty much par for the course when it comes to Innis & Gunn. It might not blow you away but it is very solid. I would recommend picking this up if you were to come across it.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2012 03:02:13 | More by rangerred

puboflyons

New Hampshire

4.28/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From the 11.2 fl. oz. bottle. Sampled on September 13, 2012.

It pours an attractive and clean looking medium amber with reddish or coppery hues but there is no head to speak of.

The aroma is of butterscotch, rum barrels, jerky spice, and raw sugar.

The body tends to be better than medium and almost bold but with a smooth and creamy texture.

The taste starts out like butterscotch but then an assertive bitterness takes over to linger briefly on the palate. Overall, a pretty nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2012 22:42:52 | More by puboflyons

joemcgrath27

Alberta (Canada)

3.55/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Part of the winter gift pack that I couldn't resist
A - poured into the flute glass that came with the gift pack, lightly hazy bronze, thumb of head retained at a thin covering
S - mix of peat, all spice, toasty grain, and light molasses
T - the caramel and spices of the rum is present but fairly subtle, some peat, light mineral and leafy flavours, with a grainy finish
M - a little on the thin watery side, light spicy and dry finish
O - it has the expected notes of the spiced rum but not as pronounced as I expected, worth a try as with most I&G offerings

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2012 02:54:02 | More by joemcgrath27

NForr

Quebec (Canada)

2.4/5  rDev -36.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured into my Innis and Gunn tulip. Little to no head - normal for a cask ale. Nice amber\auburn color.

Little bit floral, vanilla, spices - cloves, nutmeg. Candy, with some fruit. Baked banana bread.

Flowery Tastes, not as much oak as the usual Innis and Gunn, but still some vanilla flavors from the wood. Relatively bitter. I got more out of the nose the from the taste, let's see how it warms up - so far it's kind of disappointing... Nope, pretty much stays the same throughout, slight rum and oak tastes followed by a sour, bitter and alcohol ending.

I enjoy this brewery quite a lot and this is the second "Rum" themed beer they have produced that falls flat. They should stick to whisky barrels.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 05:27:51 | More by NForr

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle: Poured a deep clear light amber color ale with a medium size white foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma consists of cereal with some light notes of rum. Taste is also a mix between some cereal with light sweet notes and some light rum notes. Body is about average with some good carbonation. This one works out better then the previous barrel-aged beer they have done.

Serving type: bottle

02-29-2012 03:31:37 | More by Phyl21ca

TheHammer

Ontario (Canada)

4.55/5  rDev +21%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Poured with a finger of head that did a good job of sustaining but did not lace at all. The body, true to it's name looks like a carbonated spiced rum with a bit more of a reddish hue.

Smell: The spice is really coming out on this one as sweet sugar mixed with cloves, cinnamon and of course spiced rum with a vanilla touch. Also detecting some tropical fruit in the background but it's too hard to pickup, which is the only flaw here. Complex, but not enough bang.

Taste: I can't honestly come up with anything bad to say. It starts with a subtle sweet malt with notes of toffee and vanilla and then shifts to a sugarcane and fruit taste. Notes of banana pineapple with a touch of raspberry and citrus hops the accent this one very well and it ends just as advertised, with a woodsy spiced rum finish that I'd expect from Appleton Estate rum.

Mouthfeel: Wonderfully complex and transistions well. Nothing feels like it's fighting anything else. The carbonation could be a bit better but that brief spiced aftertaste stays around just right and when it departs you are left with fruity malt. I could see it cloying after more then one though.

Drinkability: Normally something this complex is something you want to savour. I simply can't, it's that good. It's might not be the most refreshing beer, but it goes down easy and it's a bouquet of flavour.

Final Thoughts: Innis and Gunn, you have redeemed yourself after that awful Highland Cask. It the right mix of Scottish brewing and Caribbean flavour that you would normally think couldn't go hand in hand. I'm glad to finally see one of your one off beers finally eclipse the standard Innis & Gunn without a single doubt. You owe it to yourself to see if you can track this one down, and I hope they offer it again next year.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2012 03:49:14 | More by TheHammer

Sunnanek

Sweden

3.38/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours clear deep golden with a lovely compact white head, whipped-cream-like. After the dissipation; only decent lacings.

S: Sweet and spicy - reminds me of Captain Morgan. Woody and fruity. Some vanilla from oak. Balanced malts.

T: Sweetness, vanilla and spices. Wood and malt. Fruity. Not very complex.

M: Aftertaste lingers with sweetness. Body is creamy medium while carbonation is light.

O: Once again; they overdid the oak. It overpowers almost everything else. This might be the best beer ever brewed, BUT we'll never know since the oak/vanilla kills almost everything else...

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2012 16:48:40 | More by Sunnanek

Stocean1

Ontario (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - one finger white head that quickly withdrew to a fine follar of bubbles - amber red hued body - semi clear

S - pale malt with floral hops, rum, and oak

T - Follows the nose with some cinnamon or nutmeg, pleasant but not as bold as I had hoped

M - medium bodied with decent carbonation, mildly bitter, relatively smooth with a spicy tingle

O - decent offering from Innis

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2011 17:30:07 | More by Stocean1

BDTyre

British Columbia (Canada)

3.83/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Good amber colour with very little head. Warm rum and oak notes, light spice, creamy malts.

Light bitterness, rum and booze, woody notes. Suggestions of caramel and spice. Very similar to their regular rum cask, but with a bit of spice.

Smooth mouthfeel, a bit too light on the carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2011 04:27:52 | More by BDTyre

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Amber colour, ring of white head, spots of lace left behind. Smell is full of vanilla and rum, well oaked, nice malt bill, toffee and caramel as well. Taste is malty followed by big waves of vanilla and oak, light sweetness, spiced rum is there but not overpowering, spicy caramel/toffee finish. Med carb, lightly syrupy, medium body. This is probably the most pleasant Innis & Gunn offering I have ever had, it doesn't taste over-oaked like most stuff from them and is quite drinkable, much better than the regular rum cask from them by a long shot.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2011 20:07:09 | More by peensteen

rarbring

Sweden

3.53/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A clear copper toned ale, an off-white head that settles quickly leaving little lacing but has good curtains.

Much wood nuances, fruitiness, cloud-berries and very ripe pears and sherry.

Sweet brown bread, apricot jam, sweet licorice, oak, no bitterness.

Little carbonation, slightly sticky but smooth, medium body.

Not bad, but as always I feel slightly disappointed with I&G, the casks seems to flatten the beers too much.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2011 19:25:29 | More by rarbring

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

330ml, clear as ever bottle, part of the current winter I&G gift pack.

This beer pours a clear, bright copper hue, with one skinny finger of thin foamy off-white head, which leaves very little in the way of lace as it hastily settles. It smells of fruity, floral, boozy oak barrel, a bit of caramel and vanilla, and a metallic twinge where one would expect at least a little hop action. The taste is a bit more engaging - a solid toffee wall hits you at first, the woodiness character softened a fair deal, but the vanilla and subtle nuttiness remain. Flitting about are some nice zingy fruity notes, that have divorced themselves from immediate association with their rum origins. Speaking of the booze, it maintains quite a low profile, warming things a touch here, a smidgen there. Hops are still AWOL. The carbonation is there, but rather unobtrusive, the body medium weight, and decidedly smooth. It finishes sweet, with a toffee beholden to the wood once again, and exotic fruit esters joining the fray.

Well, the spiced rum barrels sure show their stuff in this offering, so points for truth in advertising. Overall, a decent barrel aged strong ale, clean, and pretty tasty, without those messy hops getting in the way.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2011 21:19:05 | More by biboergosum

ChrisCage

Alberta (Canada)

4.55/5  rDev +21%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Got this in the same gift pack that the Winter Beer comes in, surprised I'm the first reviewer so far; yeah!

A- Poured this into my newly acquired I&G tulip style glass...how exciting! Pours a clear golden hued color, and has a nice two finger thick eggshell colored head, that has excellent retention...eventually settling down to a dense creamy film over the brew. The carbonation appears to be very relaxed, with only a few bubbles lumbering up to the top.

S- This smells similar to the original Rum Cask beer by I&G, with a distinct woody aroma, obviously from the barrel. The main difference is that this one is sweeter, which is what I'm guessing is done on purpose, being aged in spiced rum casks instead....more tropical fruit esters are present. As expected, there isn't really any hop bitterness noticeable.

T- Holy damn is this a smooth beer! For a near 7%'er, the warming alcohol is there, but without any sort of burn whatsoever! Again, this is similar to the original rum cask, but with more fruit sweetness, and there is a very distinct butterscotch richness that lingers throughout on the palate, followed closely by banana fruit. There is a mild hop presence on the finish....just enough to balance this flavorful beer out, and I find there is some subtle cinnamon spice closely following behind right after the swallow. Absolutely delicious to taste!

M- Creamy...very creamy! This is a very smooth beer as the carbonation is short on the palate, allowing the full range of flavors to show through....I almost feel like I'm enjoying a modified light fruitcake! Solid medium-full body....

O- This is definitely a sipping beer, meant to be enjoyed as a treat! Warm, flavorful, with a nice balance between sweet and woodsy! Innis & Gunn doesn't disappoint as usual and I once again highly recommend picking this one up!

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2011 02:20:27 | More by ChrisCage