Orkney Dark Island Reserve
Bottled, Filtered, Special;
Dark Island Reserve is a strong and full Orcadian Ale - lagered for 3 month in old Dalmore whiskey oakbarrals. This slow proscess makes a classic - a fruity, spiced, oak roasted malt flavour.
Dark Island Reserve is a strong and full Orcadian Ale - lagered for 3 month in old Dalmore whiskey oakbarrals. This slow proscess makes a classic - a fruity, spiced, oak roasted malt flavour.
3.9
478 reviews
Stromness, Scotland
Community reviews
Bottle, unappetising yeasty cocoa nose, then rich and chocolatey, heavy and dry with a touch of pepper.
From bottle. Pours dark opaque black with a nice fawn head. Aromas of raisins, baked plums, toffee, blackurrant. Taste is dark chocolate, burnt toffee, forest fruit and light booze.
20.10.2018. Taster from bottle. Smacsmessa Scandic Maritim, Haugesund. Black dense colour with no head. Malty and very rich. Very good beer.
It was very dark and looked a bit boring,but it tasted very good and smelled excellent too.
Bottle. Black pour. Aroma of smooth fruity whisky, red fruit, oak, raisin, figs, molasses and caramelised malt. Taste has sticky raisin, oak, sweet licorice, round cherry, very subtle smoke, caramelised malt, some spice, figs and a long fruity whisky finish. Soft round mouthfeel with a nice warming glow in the troth. Very good, top level old ale indeed. Strong flavors, but nothing is extreme and the beer in careful balance.
Dark brown liquid, small head. Aroma of stout. Medium body, no carbonation. Taste of stout, whisky.
750ml bottle bought from Beer Gonzo. Poured black with small beige head. Nose is whiskey and red wine. Taste is a complex mix of whiskey chocolate burnt oak roasted peaty notes. Very good.
16/20 probably the best MALT whisky beer i've had - big taste, very strong whisky but drinkable and well balanced
33cl bottle
pours dark brown with little head.
Aroma loads of sweet malt with whiskey and a bit of sourness.
Taste Sweet malt peat long dryish finish,loads of body
interesting bit sweet for my tastes
Et fantastisk øl med en anelse av wiskey, det kommer av at ølet ble lagret lenge på gamle whiskey fat. Anbefales.
Bottle near Inverness, Scotland. As Drk isld rsrv. 2015 vintage. Wow, this is great staff. Roasted malts, perfectly balanced whit a wooden whiskey aroma. Genius beer!!
Large bottle was a gift from my friend Damon from his distillery/brewery visit last year in Scotland – thanks, Damon! It pours nearly opaque black with some tan highlights when held up to bright light, along with creamy tan lacing (head dissipates immediately). Aroma: figs, dates, prunes, raisins, molasses, smoke, ash, espresso. Flavor: all of the above, ramped up, along with black pepper, cigar, caramelized brown sugar, oak, Scotch whisky, earth, vanilla beans. Mouthfeel: full-bodied, rich, oily. It romances my taste buds.
I really enjoyed this, a bit different but very tasty.
Got it as a present from a friend who got it from fairtex convention.
750ml bottle. Pours an opaque mahogany with a thin, creamy, short lived, fully dissipating, brown head. Sweet aroma of figs, prunes, raisins, roasted malt, caramel, oak and just a hint of whisky. Sweet flavour of roasted malt, figs, prunes, raisins, licorice, molasses, tobacco, caramel, chocolate, vanilla and oak with a warming whisky finish. Full body with a creamy, smooth, rich, oily texture and soft carbonation. Excellent complexity. Almost sinful. A world class old ale.
Pitch black, with no sign of carbonation, head or lacing: motor oil. However aroma is fantastic: strong wood infused in whiskey, smoke, vanilla and berries. Tastes follow the nose, with wood, whiskey, smoke, leather, roasted malts, caramel, vanilla and dark fruits, medium sweet with a dry finish. Slick mouthfeel, booze very well hidden. A real ale. Fantastic!
750ml bottle. The aroma is pleasant with chocolate, smoke & whsiky. The taste promises much but fails to deliver with a chocolatey sweetness then a vinious astringency in the middle. Full flavoured but not near as good as I expected. Considering the £20 price paid it probably doesn’t deserve the score given
Hmm... like a few below have mentioned, I think my bottle must have been from a bad batch... I’m getting very little of the flavours people are mentioning in other reviews, it’s all overpowered by a dry, vinous tartness. Bit weird... going to have to seek it out again and re-review if it is indeed a bad batch, as it stands I didn’t enjoy this very much at all.
330ml bottle, House of Bruar. Aroma is quite inviting, vanilla, roast. First taste is burnt dry roast, smokey peat but followed by a strong sherry-like sourness. Slightly thin for the style. I couldnt tell if the sourness was intentional or mistaken. Very unusual, but off putting. I didnt enjoy this beer and at £10 a bottle I expected alot more. From reading other good reviews I wonder if this is a bad batch as the tanginess was very pronounced as if it contained Lactobacillus
Appearance: near opaque black with a short, short-lived beige head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: burnt sugar, black strap molasses, dark chocolate, wood, dried fruit, cardboard. (5/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, low carbonation, lingering moderate bitter finish. (3/5)
Looks kind of like a stout, but tastes like a cross between a Barley Wine and an Old Ale. Quite a bit thinner than I’d’ve expected based on its appearance. Seems a bit oxidised, so I guess it was a mistake to cellar a flip-top for more than three years. A bit meh, especially for the price. (12/20)
(Bottle, bottled on 10 Dec 2008) Black colour with brief, foamy, beige head. Malty, roasted nose with caramel, dark chocolate, roasted malt, oak wood, vanilla, dark fruit. raisins and vinous hints of whiskey. Malty, roasted taste with notes of caramel, dark chocolate, coffee, dark fruit, raisins, liquorice, oak wood, molasses, hints of malt vinegar, a touch of smoke and a finish with a balanced, slightly salty bitterness and a warming whiskey touch. Full body, with a certain sweetness. Complex and with lots of character, still quite laid-back and well rounded. Excellent beer.
Bottle, 2014 vintage. Pours deep clear ruby black, minimal head, wisp of a ring of tan foam and not much lacing. Aroma is pretty much sherry, port, some oaky vinous notes. Flavor is medium sweet, light plus bitter. Medium body, low carbonation. Better after it warms, but this one apparently does not age well, cause it is high on oxidation and pretty rough around the edges. Kind of hot as well. Probably should have guessed that flip-top was not the best seal in the world, but oh well.
330 ml bottle from Beergonzo, bottled on 5th June 2015.
Dark brown body, with a small, creamy, dark beige head.
Aroma of whisky, some smoke, dried fruits, tobacco, cocoa, toffee.
Tastes of wood, whisky, peat, tobacco, dark bread, cocoa, some dried fruits, some liquorice.
Medium, oily mouthfeel, with a moderate carbonation.
Finishes roasty, smokey, wooden, a bit astringent, a bit warm, with tobacco, cocoa, subtle fruits.
Tasty. Really balanced, well integrated peaty whisky notes, leaving room for lots of dark malt and fruity notes, with just the right levels of roastiness and sweetness. Alcohol is greatly hidden, drinks really smooth. One of the best style example I’ve had so far, truly accomplished stuff.
Shared 2007 bottle from Julio. No head. This had big fruit, fig, and toffee aromas. Wood flavors were complimentary and the whisky just added to the complexity. Simply amazing.
Noire dense, petit collet fin
Arômes intenses et complexes, vanille, café, légèrement boisé, fruits noirs (pruneaux)
Douce, ronde, bien caramélisé sur la finale avec de grosse notes d’alcool, liquoreuse et chaleureuse
Black, beige head, aroma of cherries, toffee, caramel, light lemon, fun, wood, whiskey, flavor of cherries, toffee, caramel, wood, whiskey, medium+ bodied.
Reminiscent of an Imperial Stout but very unique as well. Dark as molasses and deeply satisfying. Amazing! I just love this brew.
Pours black ,. Small white head. Smell is bit roasty. Taste is full, fleshy, oak, dark malts. Very subtile, dark aroma’s of dried fruits. Very complex brew. A slow sipper , very nice
Bottle at home, 15th October 16. Pours dark brown, almost black, no head. Aroma, dark fruit seeped in liquor, black treacle, molasses. Taste is black treacle, barrel, slight whiskey well integrated, some spice, slight heat, with prune and date in the finish.
Opaque dark brown with mahogany edges. No head. Aroma intensity 3.75/5. Whisky, malt, prunes and blackcurrant aroma. Medium bitter. A bit of chocolate and treacle in the aftertaste. Oily texture. Soft carbonation. Full body.
Bottle. Black pour with a rich tan head. Aroma is a little boozy, chocolate and dark fruits, raisin, hints of whiskey. Taste is boozy chocolate, some raisin, cocoa, subtle coffee, quite rich, slightly bready. Thick texture and low carbonation.