Splinters
Black Raven Brewing Co.

SplintersSplinters
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From:
Black Raven Brewing Co.
 
Washington, United States
Style:
Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy
Ranked #11
ABV:
10.8%
Score:
93
Ranked #3,320
Avg:
4.21 | pDev: 8.55%
Reviews:
26
Ratings:
100
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 13, 2023
Added:
May 11, 2010
Wants:
  20
Gots:
  14
Our Second Sight Strong Scotch Ale that has been aged in various Kentucky bourbon barrels. After many months of aging, the barrels are then blended together to form Splinters.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Impfan:
Photo of Impfan
Reviewed by Impfan from Washington

5/5  rDev +18.8%
Unbelievably smooth for 11.1%, this bourbon barrel aged Second Sight tastes like it was aged in a very high quality brandy (or even cognac) barrel. There is lots of yellow and red fruity complexity, with plums outstanding, and just enough peat flavor to belie its origins. I could sniff this stuff all day, and I would definitely recommend a brandy snifter to capture all the subtle nuances. It's definitely sweet, on balance, and it reminds me of The Bruery's Bois, but, unlike that brew, it never crosses over into undrinkably cloying. Highly recommended.
Sep 16, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

4.13/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Bomber from Tavour. Mahogany pour with a thick beige head. Peated malts battles it out with bourbon barrel in the aroma, sweet, earthy, malty. Taste is brown sugar, woody, peat, sweet, gentle boozy notes. Bourbon and peated malts balance really well.
Oct 29, 2022
Photo of maximum12
Reviewed by maximum12 from Minnesota

3.63/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Dinner. Movie. 22 oz. bomber. Such is life. Split with my wife.

Slightly muddy amber with a nose of rusty malts & bourbon. All seems in order here.

Splinters is a classic of the genre. Caramel, check, bourbon, check, slight alcoholic burn slithering down my chest cavity, check, touch of wood & a few kernels of brown sugar. A touch thin, but that keeps the drinkability level higher.

Good solid brew.
Apr 03, 2022
 
Rated: 4.33 by bschmidt_37 from Illinois

Feb 11, 2022
Photo of backblast
Reviewed by backblast from Alaska

4.35/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured a dark amber with a light, thin head and very little lacing.

Taste of rich sweet malt up front and caramel, there's a bit spiciness in there mixed with light alcohol. Rich mouthfeel and very enjoyable.
Jan 24, 2022
Photo of Beersnake
Reviewed by Beersnake from California

3.94/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured at fridge temp. Pours a semi-transparent dark brown with tan head. Good carbonation that sticks around.

Nose is tough to penetrate. It's hard to explain, but nothing screams out when I take a sniff. Subtle toffee notes are there, along with a malty bread note. A bit of wheat and a touch of dark fruit. Otherwise, not much is going on.

Taste is definitely more pronounced than the nose. Bourbon-soaked toffee, chocolate, a touch of tobacco, plums, and sweet candy. A minor maple influence is there as well. A woody note (slightly bitter) starts to emerge over time, along with a slight nutty flavor.

Mouthfeel is medium-bodied, with a relatively sweet aftertaste. Overall, this is a fine beer, but I was expecting a lot more. Very drinkable.
Dec 19, 2021
Photo of DIM
Reviewed by DIM from Pennsylvania

4.17/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
I'm not getting smoke or much peat. This is caramel forward with some spiced toffee. The barrel notes bring sweet, smooth whiskey, minimal vanilla, and lingering ashy oak. The body is light with gentle carbonation. Tasted blind, I might have called this an English barleywine.
Dec 18, 2021
Photo of Pivopijak
Reviewed by Pivopijak from Washington

4.28/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
bottle into glass
Very thin head that quickly dissipates. Deep, clear auburn color. Subtle, toffee & caramel topping off the malted aroma. Rich, creamy, spiced, malted caramel and toffee flavors welcome your tastebuds with a bit of sweetness, and yes a touch of toasted woodiness from those barrels. Medium mouthfeel with a smooth spiced finish.
Apr 02, 2021
 
Rated: 4.44 by ppavlick from New Jersey

Mar 20, 2021
Photo of GreesyFizeek
Reviewed by GreesyFizeek from New York

4.16/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
This one pours a dark-ish brown/amber color, with a small head, and a bit of lacing.

This smells like chocolate, toffee, smoke, dark fruit, and oak.

This is extremely smooth, with no real booze character. It's almost *too* smooth, as I'd want a bit more strong barrel presence here, as the blending seems to smooth all of the edges. To some people, that might not be a bad thing - it's super drinkable, with some nice oak notes, caramel and tobacco whiskey tones, and a high quality base underneath.

This is medium bodied, creamy, smooth, and rich, with no booziness and as mentioned above, a surprising level of drinkability for the style.

Even though my personal preference is for a deeper barrel character, I can't deny the care and talent that went into this.
Mar 01, 2021
Photo of REVZEB
Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois

4.23/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Clear dark amber brown with a thin beige cap. Huge wood and toffee in the nose, some vanilla and light bourbon mash in the background. Taste has the booze come in nicely, very warm and constant, accenting the flavors from the nose plus a touch of smoky earth. Feel is thinner than expected but barrel character gives it enough definition to carry the day with warm and wood. Very nice ba scotch ale.
Feb 20, 2021
 
Rated: 4.08 by smithj4 from New York

Feb 02, 2021
 
Rated: 4.19 by WDJersey from Colorado

Jan 24, 2021
Photo of beergoot
Reviewed by beergoot from Colorado

4.29/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Deep, dark amber body, clear; excellent, gently rising carbonation; fairly thick and creamy bone-white head; spidery fingers of lacing cling to the glass. Overall mild caramel note in the smell; a touch of earthy spiciness. Rich and sweet taste; caramel and nougat; brown sugar; whiskey undertones; a tinge of roasted nuts; suggestion of star anise. Heavy body; thick and sticky; a bit warm with gentle boozy heat.

Barrel aging combined with a rich and complex Scotch ale done right!
Jan 23, 2021
Photo of Captain69
Rated by Captain69 from Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
great tasting scotch ale - not much head but great taste
Dec 26, 2020
 
Rated: 3.5 by chrisb53188 from Wisconsin

Dec 19, 2020
 
Rated: 4.06 by Bandi from New York

Apr 14, 2020
Photo of metter98
Reviewed by metter98 from New York

4.2/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
A: The beer is rather hazy dark reddish amber in color. It poured with a short light beige head that died down and left a narrow collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Moderate aromas of sweet caramel malts are present in the nose along with strong notes of bourbon.
T: The taste follows the smell and has flavors of dark malts and caramel along with notes of bourbon from the barrel aging along with a touch of smoke.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation with a touch of warming from the alcohol.
O: This beer is first and foremost a Scotch Ale with nice accompanying notes of bourbon from the barrel aging that lend complexity to both the smell and taste. It does a good job at hiding a good portion of the alcohol from the taste.

Serving type: bottle
Apr 14, 2020
 
Rated: 4.25 by paulish from New York

Feb 26, 2020
Splinters from Black Raven Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 93 out of 100 with 100 ratings