Sporting successes abound this weekend for my kids, I wanted to drink something special once they’d gone to bed, to enjoy whilst I reflected on a job well done for me and the wife 🙂 I’ve drank the cask version of this beer that had rested for 2 years before release and it was sublime. Leaving a barrel aged beer this long is always a risk but in this case it paid off. Sadly Fallen Acorn ceased trading last year but I’m so glad I held out with this. Bought direct from the brewery in December 2018 it’s been well looked after, stashed away in various beer fridges ever since. It’s mellowed on to a really smooth, luxurious beer. There was a massive aroma of toasted coconut on pouring but that soon disappeared. The whiskey is tempered but still present giving a whiff of peat and caramel eventually. Dark chocolate bitterness gives way to a sweet, oily, thick beer that oozes milk chocolate. The emphasis is on the mellowness but the complexity can’t be overlooked. There’s prunes and jammy port notes also well represented. Sublime beer, never to be drank again ☹️

This is the cask-aged version released April 2020. Layer upon layer of rich malty goodness. Pours thick, leaves an oily film in the glass. Drinks like something far into double digits, and would hold up well to ageing a lot longer. There’s roast malts, some dark chocolate as well as coffee and leather notes coming through. I’m glad I have a bottle of this tucked away in the cupboard, it should stay good for a while yet