Castle Island Greetings from Skibb

The Stats
Style: Foreign/Export Stout
ABV: 8.4%
Current Ratings...
- Untappd: 4.13/5
- Beer Advocate: N/A
- RateBeer: N/A

"We’ve partnered with our friends at West Cork Distillers to bring you this lavish, sumptuous barrel aged export stout. Lending us a selection of their finest whiskey barrels, West Cork has allowed us to infuse flavors of charred oak, rich vanilla, and hints of dark fruit into a smooth and splendid base beer. Named after Skibbereen, the town in Ireland that West Cork calls home, Greetings From Skibb is a celebration of camaraderie and collaboration with our friends from across the pond. We hope you enjoy. Sláinte!"

Pours as dark as they come with two fingers of almond-colored head.

As soon as I popped the can the whiskey came pouting out in large amounts. Lots, and I mean LOTS of roast on this with notes of black coffee and dark chocolate. Black licorice and anise are also huge and just when I think that's the end, a heaping dose of oaks drives by and smacks me in the face as does tobacco and char. I want to Febreeze my couch with this.

Not surprisingly the whiskey is the first thing I notice on the taste and it is everywhere. While whiskey does dominate, and is delicious, I think everything else on the aroma is dialed back just a bit. Still, dark chocolate syrup and coffee are prevalent and the deep roasted character is singing loud and proud. Small moments of caramel add a sweeter side and I'm picking up a smokey quality which I can attribute to the char from the barrel. There's almost a molasses taste to it which blends with the oak beautifully. As it warms, some vanilla emerges and so does fluffy milk chocolate and the finish leaves behind more and more whiskey.

Mouthfeel is full with little carbonation. Not the thickest stout I've had, but it still gets the passing grade. The barrel flavors make for a sticky aftertaste.

Greetings from Skibb was an excellent Whiskey barrel aged stout with a knee-buckling aroma and a complex buffet of flavors. Straight up whiskey barrel beers tend to leave behind pure alcohol taste, but this was smooth on all accounts. The deeply roasted flavors of the base beer were a superb match for this barrel and hopefully Castle Island cranks out more from their barrel program in 2018.

Rating
9.0/10