Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Bottle No. 61520. ABV is 8.0%. Pitch black colour, big to moderate and creamy tan head. The whisky oak cask with peaty smoke and notes of tar comes through in the aroma, followed by notes of roastiness (roast malts, coffee) and chocolate. The aroma is more mellow and subdued than the 12 y.o., but still nice. The flavour has also here loads of rich malty sweetness, immediately followed by distinct notes of peaty smoke - it is again quite amazing what impact the whisky cask has. Dark chocolate in the middle. The finish has a firm bitterness from the hops and burnt malts, while the peaty smoke lasts through the long aftertaste. A truly impressive beer, but if you don’t like scotch whisky at all, this might not be the beer for you. Not easy drinking (somewhat smoother than the 12 y.o., though), but a great sipping beer, and a real treat for any lover of peatiness.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Bottle No. 12610. ABV is 8.0%. Pitch black colour, big tan head. The aroma of the 18 is less distinct than the 12 and 16, notes of sweet malts, almonds, brown sugar and oak, with a moderate roastiness, notes of chocolate and mild coffee. The flavour is excellent, distinct notes of whisky oak cask, peaty smoke, hints of tar, also roasted notes of coffee, liquorice and dark bitter chocolate. Well rounded, with just the right sweetness and a pleasant bitterness in the finish. Yummy!

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Bottle No. 01232, March 2009. ABV is 8.0%. Pitch black colour, big tan head. Strong aroma of whisky cask, notes of peat, tar and vanilla. Intense but well rounded flavour of malt whisky, oak, malty sweetness, coffee and tar. Moderately bitter aftertaste.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Bottle No. 40857, January 2009. ABV is 8.0%. Pitch black colour, big tan head. Intense and lovely aroma of fine malt whisky, notes of oak and peat, hints of vanilla and dark chocolate. Strong flavour of dark malts and fine whisky, peaty and oaky notes, also notes of coffee, hints of liquorice and tar. Moderate bitterness in the finish. Pretty brilliant stuff.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

330 ml bottle. Black colour, impenetrable for light. Moderate tan head. Looks like old engine oil, smells like old engine oil too - just add dark and roast malts, oak, leather, liquorice and dark bitter chocolate. Lovely roast malts flavour, oily texture. Elements of oak, dark bitter chocolate and substantial hops, maybe some dried fruits and English liquorice too. Great roasty bitter aftertaste with elements of peaty smoke. A great beer!

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

Cask conditioned at Charlie’s Bar, Copenhagen. Golden / amber colour, low head. Moderate malty aroma with fruity hops. A moderate but nice and crisp hoppiness in the flavour, well balanced with the malts. Easy drinking. A nice little beer this one!

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

500 ml bottle, now available in Norway. ABV here is 4.7%. Golden colour, large to moderate white head. Moderate carbonation. Aroma is initially surprisingly moderate but nice and pleasant, improves as the beer warms up a little (started drinking it too cold), flowery and citrussy hops (Hersbrücker and Challenger), hints of honey too. Flavour is zesty and grapefruity, the hops dominate but there is also a sufficient malty base. Bitter aftertaste of grapefruit peel. A very unusual lager, clearly related to its golden ale cousin, the Bitter & Twisted. Also sampled cask conditioned at The Guildford Arms, Edinburgh. Deep golden colour, minimal head. Nice aroma of fruity hops. Hoppy flavour.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

500 ml bottle, a gift from Germany. ABV is 5.5%. Clear golden colour with a large and lasting head. Moderate aroma of fruity hops. The flavour is quite well balanced between the malts and hops. Hoppy finish. Relatively soft and pleasant mouthfeel for a 5.5% golden lager. Definitely drinkable.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

500 ml can, bought in Germany. ABV is 4.9%. Pale golden colour, decent head. Sweetish aroma: candy, grass, herbs. Flavour is tolerably hoppy on a slightly sweetish background. Average German macro pils.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Hazy deep golden to orange colour, low white head. Lovely and intense aroma of tropical fruits, also some citrus. The flavour is mid between sweet and dry, tropical fruits and citrus again, pine needles and resin in the medium bitter finish.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

500 ml bottle, from Ales By Mail. ABV is 4.4%. Deep golden to orange colour, moderate white head. Moderate aroma of fruity hops. Fruity and zesty flavour of Cascade hops, well balanced, good bitterness, pleasant to drink.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

330 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 9.5%. Black colour, moderate tan head. Aroma of roast malts with some vinous notes, also mild coffee, chocolate, tar and woodwork. Excellent flavour, roasty and medium sweet with chocolate and some vinous notes.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

Shared 330 ml bottle at local tasting. Hazy pale golden colour, low white head. Aroma of gooseberries, grass and herbs, hints of decaying fruits. Light bodied. Very bitter flavour from start to finish.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

500 ml green bottle, as Healeys Cyder Rattler Original, Cornish cloudy cyder. ABV is 6%. From British Corner Shop. Pale golden colour, pours sparkling with a white head. Only the faintest haziness, far from "cloudy". Aroma of sour and bittersweet cider apples. The flavour is more sweet than dry, but still rather crisp. Very moderate tannins. Pleasant to drink.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

Cask (handpump), as Heart of Wales Inn Stable, at the Darlington Spring Thing beer festival 2011. ABV was 6.8%, according to the festival programme. Cloudy orange colour, low head. Aroma of unfermented wort, fruity and grassy (or rather: hay-like) hops. Poor condition, the flavour seems "unfinished" and "raw". Some caramel, hops and fusel alcohols, quite dry. Not much to brag about.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

500 ml bottle, a gift from my son Steinar (bought in Poland). Brewed by Herrnbräu in Ingolstadt, Germany. ABV is 5.2%. Extract 12,5%. Pasteurized. Beautiful deep copper to chestnut colour, big to moderate cream-coloured head. Very malty aroma, notes of caramel, rye bread and bakery. Fizzy mouthfeel. The flavour is also malty and sweet with notes of caramel and rye bread, also a slight roastiness. The hops in the finish are very moderate, but sufficient (together with the roastiness) to balance the sweetness and make the beer very drinkable.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

(Cask conditioned). Sampled at the Wear Valley CAMRA Beer festival, where it was served at room temperature with no carbonation whatsoever. Dark ruby colour, exquisite aroma, a bit thin mouthfeel, pleasant mild spicy flavour. Recommended! Would love to try it again, preferably slightly cooler at a Hebridean pub.

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

Cask conditioned at Blackfriars, Glasgow. Described as a "Premium Strong Ale", but I guess most of us don’t think of a 4.8% beer as "strong". Beautiful deep amber colour, creamy head. Nice malty aroma with caramel, and some fruity aromatic hops. Fairly malty flavour with a distinct hoppy bitterness throughout, also notes of caramel and fruit.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 6

Shared bottle, thanks to yngwie. ABV 5.5%. Golden colour, just a slight carbonation. Aroma and flavour of cider apples, hints of oak and sulphites. Quite drinkable.

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 3 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

330 ml green bottle, from Helgø Meny Maxi, Sandnes. Crystal clear pale golden colour, moderate white head. The aroma has first some fresh and typical Heineken notes of lightstruck hops, before the more usual n/a beer features of cooked vegetables and baby porridge take over, but not as extreme as in some other n/a beers. Thin mouthfeel as expected. The flavour is fairly dry with some hops, and the beer is not undrinkable, okay with a meal.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 3 | Mouthfeel: 2 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 3

250 ml bottle, as Buckler 0,0%, brewed by Heineken Spain. Deep golden to pale brown colour, moderate white head. Typical n/a beer aroma of unhopped wort and cooked vegetables. Grainy flavour, notes of wort, maize and over-cooked vegetables.

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

I used to appreciate its crisp citrus perfumed aroma, often accompanied by a fresh seafood meal - but alas, I grew tired of it. I'm not the only one.

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 5

330 ml slimline can, from SPAR Jørpeland. ABV is 4%. Clear pale golden colour, moderate to small white head. Strong sweetish aroma of malt sugar and newmown grass. Crisp and refreshing mouthfeel. The flavour is citric, grassy and fairly crisp, but still with some residual sweetness, very moderate herbal hops in the finish. Better than I feared.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Jan. 2022: Rerate, 750 ml green "champagne" bottle, vintage 2020, bought at the cidery in August 2021. ABV is 9%. Pale golden colour, pours sparkling with a small and shortlived white head. Fresh and pleasant aroma and flavour of the Discovery and Aroma apple varieties. Semi dry. Original rating Oct. 2020: Served per glass at NOK 115 (!) at Hotel Ullensvang, Lofthus. Golden colour, moderately sparkling (the bottle was already opened). Very fresh and attractive aroma and flavour of eating apples / dessert apples, semi-dry (or semi-sweet, if you like). Would happily buy again.

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

250 ml screwcap bottle, vintage 2022, from Vinmonopolet Odda, at an outrageous price. ABV is 12.5%, apple varieties are Asfari and Aroma. Clear and deep golden colour, still, as most ice ciders are. Pleasant aroma of apples, some of them oxidised, hints of oak. Very sweet flavour of concentrated apple juice / cider, hints of oak and sulphites.