BrewDog Paradox Islay (Batch 001)
Bottled; Special. Also cask.
This limited edition (001) sees a 8% Imperial Stout matured in a specially selected ex Duncan Taylor & Co Caol Ila 1996 single malt whisky cask.
NOTE: Some bottles of Speyside Batch 010 have been mis-labelled as Batch 001. However, those bottles clearly state Speyside on the bottle and should not be confused with the Islay Batch 001.
This limited edition (001) sees a 8% Imperial Stout matured in a specially selected ex Duncan Taylor & Co Caol Ila 1996 single malt whisky cask.
NOTE: Some bottles of Speyside Batch 010 have been mis-labelled as Batch 001. However, those bottles clearly state Speyside on the bottle and should not be confused with the Islay Batch 001.
3.6
167 reviews
Ellon, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Community reviews
Cask@Rake August 2009
I couldn’t really stomache this one at the time, full of phenols and chlorophenols, stomping all over the beer. I hadn’t realised that they were aged in different casks and I’d enjoyed the paradox we had at Southampton ber festival.
11.2 oz. bottle best before January 1, 2010 from Five Points Bottle Shop. I normally will not review beer which is out of date according to the brewer, but this one is awesome and is holding up exceptionally well. This first batch is even peatier now than when I had some relatively fresh Paradox Islay batch 8. Lots of brine and peat in the aroma along with some oaky smoothness. It may be fair to say the malts have mellowed out a bit, judging by the other Paradoxes I’ve had, but the whiskey character, which is the focus anyway, is in full effect. That almost salty quality is everywhere with a little iodine and tasty peat smoke. Islay malts are my favorite of Scotches and given that bias this is my favorite Paradox thus far.
Bottle passed on by Peter Fowler, Shoulder of Mutton April 2011 consumed at Volkswagen California meet, Bletchingdon, Oxon 6th May 2011 Pours black with a beige head and whilst Islay aged beers are not really my thing this wasn’t too bad. Woody on nose and in the mouth, soft in mouth also. Very roasty, some coffee and bitter chocolate but the whisky flavour’s tend to dominate a little too much for me. A6 A4 T6 P4 Ov12 3.2
Cask. Pours dark brown with a dissipating light brown head. Smells of vanilla, roasted malt, some dark fruit. Tastes oaky and dry with some chocolatey tastes and a vanilla/cherry spike on the finish.
dark brown, thin beige ring for a head. Nose of smoke, light malt but too thin, bit of iodine. Flavor is similar, iodine more heavy, light malt and smoke. Thin but lasting flavor. Some chocolate thrown in, more than would show in a scotch, and these marry nicely, but that’s probably the only reason I’d drink this over a decent single malt.
Bottle, thanks ygtbsm94. Small tan head atop cola-brown body. Aroma is moderately sweet, whiskey, smoke/peat, some turpentine, caramel. Taste is moderately sweet, caramel, some whiskey/smoke. Medium body, low carbonation.
Massive peaty smoke nose, some malt. All scotch thus far. Taste is moderately sweet, light bitter, a shitload of smoke/peat, lots of iodine and super salty. Very intense.
Bottle courtesy of brad - thanks! Beautiful reddish maroon color. Aroma of smoke, ash, fire, peat. Taste is peaty and meaty, very smooth. Nice stuff.
Bottle at The Cad’s Pure Mad Rocket Mon The Beezer Tasting in 2010. Pours opaque brown with light bubbles for a head. Lightly attenuated aroma, with some brown sugar, hard alcohol and roasted malts. Flavor is nice and sweet with very mellow peat, light char and roast, and faint cocoa. Medium bodied with soft carbonation, it seems a tad thin. Sweet finish with dark malts and further notes of peat and roast. Very, very good.
Bottle, thanks to the legend which is the Cad! Thanks, mate!!
Raspberries, sherry, oak., wood and whisky on aroma.
Taste is faint Islay, gorgeously balanced, stunningly blended and very delicate, chocolate, oak, raspberries and wood. The whiskey is soo fine I am lost for words. Never have I tasted such expert blending of Islay before. This is world class blending. Stunning. This is a killer whiskey beer. Awesome. Don’t stop doing this guys.
Fantastic Islay Smokiness on the nose, nice fluffy off white head and of course the very distinctive scotch palate. Overall very nice medium body, great roasted malt flavor with a wonderful finish. Not a typical casked beer, but I love Islay Scotch and liked this quite a bit.
Aged bottle from State Line quaffed with family 4Q 09. Pours onyx with tan head. Nose is peaty dark malt, cognac, some choc, hops, scorched blackberry. Tastes medium in palate heft, very malty, with a rum and molasses, and cognacy flavor. Pretty smooth, and gets very hot late.
330ml bottle, bb 03/03/10 batch 001, pitch black color, with a tan head, but falls quickly, big leathery, leather shoe sole, earthy peaty herbal whiskyish root, tobacco leaf nose with some kind of Cépacol brand, cough tablet,old burnt leather notes, with a faint dark chocolate, dried fruit aroma follows through on medium-bodied palate with a warmth, sweet earthy roasted, chocolate, toasted, peated malt, leathery character, with a light dark coffee, bitter chocolate, tobacco notes, with a faint minty herbal cépacol taste, with a hint of anise spiciness, and a roasted burnt whisky wood barrel accent, with some light burnt dark dried fruit, fruitcake flavours, leading towards a warming, sweet roasty, peated malt, leathery, lingering burnt roasty bitterness finish.
Courtesy of ygtbsm94. Thanks for sharing, Brad! Black, light tan creamy head. Deep whiskey-peat and vanilla aromas ride undertones of dark fruit and wood. Smoked vanilla and oaken whiskey-like flavors blend seamlessly into a salty chocolate-like finish. Cask body, light carbonation, boozed oak finish. A nice sipper...
21st September 2008. Opaque black beer. Heavy smoky peaty whisky dominates but there is a sweet lactose milky tone as well. Initally I found this beer hard work but it ultimately provided some rewards for perseverence.
A deep dark stout with almost no head, of white. The aroma on this is quite intense and interesting: tobacco, leather, phenolics, wood essence, bitter chocolate, whiskey barrels and tar. In mouth, a nice sweetish and peaty chocolate, with light sweet fruity notes, intense yet subdued, complex yet almost quaffable. Bieropholie import, BB 03/03/2010.
bb 01/01/10 # 001
pours dark brown, mocha head.
aroma was reminiscent of a previous Brewdog, lots of smoke, char ashes in the nose that seemed almost too much, thin whiskey.
flavor, lots of wood, burnt ashed to the max, char overly present.
Interesting beer but the overall mouthfeel turns this experience in something that wasn’t for my palate.
As the beer warmed up, the whiskey became a little more present with some chocolate malts though everything was ruined by this overly dry ash/wood/tobacco.
Bottle : Batch 001 Best Before 03/03/10
Pours a dark brown with orange hue and virtually no head. Complex nose, peaty at first, than biscuit, chocolate milk, seaweed. The attack is smooth, medium bodied, no carbonation at all, wich is not distracting in this brew, than grainy in the end. Long aftertaste with the sweet warming of the 10º alcohol bringing back the scotch flavors. This is a great night cap! Altough I think it’s not made for every palate. IMO it’s the absolute opposite of any big american Imp.Stout, nothing is big in this beer, everything is subtle, and it’s nice and good! I want more...
12oz bottle from Liquid solutions batch 001 best by 01/01/10. Let me know if I have rated the wrong beer, all these different batches get confusing. Pours a deep coffee brown with a small beige head. Nose was very smokey and full of peat, more noticeable than the Port Dundas version. Finish was also very smokey with some underlying chocolate notes, finish was a little watery.
330 ml bottle from Bieropholie, served at cellar temperature in a tulip glass. Batch 001, BB 03/03/10.
App.: Deep black with a surprisingly frail, small light tan head.
Aroma: Great Isla scotch smokiness, quite peaty with some iodine, the deep, fruity malts work in harmony, some licorice and molasses, chocolate, some very light tangy notes, a very inviting nose.
Palate: Medium-ish body and almost no carbonation, a bit powdery.
Flav.: Similar to the nose with a nice blend of oily scotch peat with deep fruity, chocolate malts, a bit of iodine; somewhat sweet with a fair bit of warming alcohol and a slightly metallic Scotch-like finish softened with a little dark malt.
The body was lacking but this was still a very enjoyable brew.
(Bottle, batch 006) Pours very dark brown, black in the glass with a small brown head. The aroma holds peat smoked whisky up front with undertones of tar, wet cigarette/ cigar, toffee, wood, salt water, soy, salt liquorice, burned caramel and burned chocolate. Light medical with hints of throat lozenge and numbing mint. The nose is quite sharp and the whisky tones are too present. The flavour is light to medium sweet, light bitter and light acidic with notes of smoky whisky, salt liquorice, tar, wood, earth, tobacco/cigar, dark chocolate and maybe a whisper of toffee. The finish is quite dry with a notable touch of old bitter hops. The beer is just too medical and herbal to be enjoyable. The mouthfeel is light oily, empty and hard with a light carbonation. Numbing whisky notes lingers. Near medium bodied. I hope that I will be the last one to mention this - oak aged beers are ok as long as the wood blends well with the rest of the beer. As we say in Sweden: nej tack.
Bottled sample via and shared with oakbluff. Brownish black in colour with low carbonation. Huge aromas of peat, iodine, and sea air with backing notes of mint, dried fruit, and a hint of roast. More over-the-top barrel elements in the mouth with lots of wood, smoke, and spirit, with the caramel and roasted malts creeping in on the back end. Only medium bodied. Quite unusual, as there’s so much Islay scotch influence that it’s hard to draw the line between the beer and whiskey.
Bottle, Batch 006. Pours dark black with a thin brown head. Smells of toffee and smoke. Tastes of smoke, peat, burned molasses... and many other ones that keep appearing as it warms. Very smooth, not thick at all. Excellent, easily one of the best, most complex stouts I’ve had.
Bottle says Batch 006 - I’ve read that this was a refill..
Is this a rauchbier? Damn close I tell you.
The very first thing you notice about this killer stout is the huge smoke content. A total surprise to me, that’s for sure. Poured out a small brown crown with limited retention and spotty lacing on top of a near black beer. The aroma, especially early on is smoke.... lots of it. After considerable warming the smoke is still there but it is much more manageable now and reveals a thick peaty smell that seems one and the same. Combine that with burnt malts, vanilla, chocolate, tobacco and fruity notes and you have one of the most fascinating smelling stouts out there - just let it really warm up a lot so you to can enjoy (mine sat for almost an hour with small, continuous sipping).
The flavor is no slouch either. Similar flavors as the aroma with some whiskey, very very mild alcohol (maybe), soft licorice (I think) and more notable sweetness with the faint chocolate showing up at the end. I almost forgot the hops which round out the finish and are quite noticeable even through the complexity of this killer brew. Even more whiskey now that the smoke / peat has faded leading to a more rounded, better blended taste. Full bodied, very smooth, no hint of a syrupy feel what so ever. Finishes with a blend of flavors and a peaty / smoke bitterness. I have insane breath! How does this match up against the other batches? Really, it is hard to compare as the ones I’ve had are so different. Never does one really notice the 10%. Although it is impossible to compare, I think this is much more drinkable than AleSmith Speedway Stout. An excellent, exceptional beer. I want much more. Let it sit in your glass!
"dark brown to black body with a small tan cap. Aroma is SMOKE!!! And lots of it, wiskey, and rubber are also noticeable. Aroma isn’t that appealing to me. Taste like burnt bacon, so much smoke in the flavor, burnt earth and a touch of alcohol. And I can’t seem to shake that rubber flavor!! Where is this coming from?!?!?! Vanilla shows up in the finish when warm. This was very complex and interesting but I didn’t find as nearly as enjoyable as the batch #007. My marks are way to low, i’ll have to revisit this one."
Pours a deep brown color, with large tan head. Lots of smoke and peated malt in the aroma. This stout is strongly whiskey flavored. Mostly whiskey, with some smoke, chocolate, fruit, and oak. It’s alright.. quite a bit one sided in the flavor.
Black/Brown with a thin tan head. Aroma is very smokey, smoked ham, light caramel, oak. Taste is very smokey with strong oak, light caramel, strong roastiness, a bit earthy. Almost should be classified as a smoked with the domination that it brings but is still solid stuff.
12 oz bottle from Liquid Solutions Batch 001 BB 1/1/10. Nose of smoke, chocolate, and more smoke. Black with an almost nonexistent head. Flavor is charred whiskey barrels with a slight whiskey note and some chocolate, the charred character simply overpowers the rest of the flavors.
Pours dark brown, with not much head, ust a few bubbles hugging the edge of th glass. Big whskey notes just come pouring out, along with some roast, sweet molasses, and toffee. Not as full bodied as i would have hoped for, medium at best. This one was a little unbalanced for my taste. Just heavy pounding of scotch, but not enough body to really balance it out and give you other flavors. very sweet and sticky on the palate, not my favorite of their wiskey barrel aged brews.
One of the most smoky tasting beers I’ve ever had. It is a relentless attack on your taste buds. Tar, tobacco, liquorice and whiskey are the dominating tastes. The aftertaste is mainly sharp smoky whiskey. It is not a beer you would drink two off but in small doses an excellent beer.