Buxton – Cranachan Scotch Ale

I love Scotland. Specifically the Highlands. So I was really looking forward to this. The smell on opening the bottle is gorgeous. If you’ve ever visited a distillery, and been near the warehouses, you’ll be familiar with the ‘angel’s share’. The aroma of evaporating whisky and oak. That’s what you get from this. Well, you would, seeing as it has been sat in a whisky barrel for two years. That whisky essence is always there, but once you get into it, the main flavour you get is raspberry – this is Cranachan after all. Fruit is still not my favourite ingredient, but it’s essential to this beer. There is supposedly cream and honey in there too. I didn’t get much distinct honey, but there is well balanced sweetness to keep the rasps in check. The whole beer was lighter than I expected, a barrel usually makes everything heavier, and more mellow … but this has stayed pretty sharp. The finish is gorgeous, one of those that almost gets better after heading to your stomach