Nøgne Ø Imperial Stout Highland Edition

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 9

Well helllooooo. For some reason i was expecting overdone smokiness and scotch like the Mikkeller black hole version, but this was well done. I tasted little to no alcohol (9%) but the beer had some of the sherry/port characterisitics of worldwide stout, as well as the slightly sweet and smoky scotch, roasted malt and lots of chocolate. excellent beer if a bit pricey.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

500 ml unlabelled bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Pitch black colour, big chocolate brown head. Lovely aroma of whisky barrel (possibly used for sherry before whisky?), but the whisky elements are not overdone - also notes of chocolate, dark dried fruits, vanilla and coffee. Full and rich mouthfeel. The flavour has a pronounced malty sweetness and well balanced roastiness, again notes of oak, sherry, dark dried fruits, vanilla and coffee - also moderate notes of tar. An excellent example of how good oak aged impy stouts can be, when the balance is just right.