Name: Pime Öö Islay BA (Cellar Series) (2017)
Brewer: Põhjala (Estonia)
Style: Specialty Wood-Aged Beer (Base Style: Imperial Stout)
ABV: 13.6%
Review Year: 2020
Pime Öö Islay BA is an Imperial Stout brewed by Estonia’s Põhjala and was released in 2017. As the name implies, this is a variant of the brewery’s signature Imperial Stout aged for eight months in ex-whisky barrels from Islay distilleries.
Distilleries in Islay (pronounced “eye-la”), Scotland such as Laphroaig, Lagavulin, Caol Ila, Ardbeg, and Bowmore, are known to produce heavily peated whiskies. Large parts of Scotland are covered with peat bogs formed over a period of 1,000 to 5,000 years by decayed vegetation. These peat bogs are then harvested and are used to infuse the hallmark peaty-smoky character into whisky. The process, in particular, generally involves drying damp barley grain by exposing these to pungent peat smoke for around 18 to 30 hours. These smoked barley grain are then used to create whisky.
STYLE GUIDELINES
This beer is being evaluated as a Specialty Wood-Aged Beer (33B) with the Imperial Stout (20C) as the base style in the context of the 2015 Beer Style Guidelines of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). The most current version of the guidelines can be found on the BJCP website.
TASTING NOTES
A closer look reveals a dark brown beer with some ruby hues and a very thin brown head. This barrel-aged Imperial Stout unleashed a wave of assertive smoky, band-aid, mossy, and brown sugar-like aromas.
It is a thick and full-bodied liquid with an ample amount of carbonation. Well-balanced flavors of dark chocolates, brown sugar, grapes, and cacao are joined by the distinct smoky and medicinal/ iodine Islay whisky character. The flavors scream Laphroaig. The dark roasty backbone surprisingly complements the smoky-peaty character. Moderate alcohol notes give an impression of a boozy stout while a light black peppery heat lingers. Smoky phenols surface in the aftertaste.
THE VERDICT
Islay whiskies are polarizing expressions and the same can be said for this Pime Öö variant. In other words, this is not for everyone. At its core, Pime Öö is a bold, dark, and roasty Imperial Stout. However, the integration of the hallmark Islay whisky characters via barrel-aging resulted in this very expressive yet well-balanced concept. We are quite impressed by how the signature peaty-smoky phenols surfaced as very clean, distinct, and ultimately did not manifest as the off-flavor kind. Excellent.
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