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The relationship between beer and whisky is a long one. Many distilleries were formed from disused breweries, like Glenmorangie in Easter Ross, established in 1843 using the site and some of the equipment from
McKenzie & Gallie's Morangie Brewery, which had existed since 1738. Today, beera like Innis & Gunn, Harviestoun Special Reserve Old Engine Oil, and Orkney Brewery's Dark Island Reserve all borrow from the whisky industry as part of their identity.
Now, a limited edition beer from Islay Ales has just been produced in conjunction with Bruichladdich distillery, available only from the brewery (details below) with UK delivery costing ?10 for one case, and ?5 per subsequent case.
Islay Ales, Worts n' Ale (Scotland) 
This new bottle-conditioned beer (June 2006) is
brewed from 600 litres of the pre-fermented liquor known as ?wort?, shipped to Islay Ales by the local Bruichladdich distillery, where it was brewed using Challenger and Bramling Cross hops. It packs a powerful 9.0%ABV and
pours a hazy caramel colour, with a thick, retentive cream-coloured head. It has an intriguing nose, with a definite tang of the iodine and smoky Islay signature, with a smoked mackerel note and a hint of sweet malt beneath.
On the palate there is a sumptuous pillow of sweetness, formed from lots of dark roasted malts and presumably the Bruichladdich wort. It has a density and chewiness of texture, and the sweetness is nicely counterbalanced by
a crisp acidity and nice bittering hop presence in the finish. This is intriguing and unusual stuff, but it is also delicious. It is available exclusively from the brewery
, and 25p of each bottle purchased goes to RNLI. 9.0% ABV, 33cl, �3.00, brewery website.  |  |
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