Innis & Gunn releases Atlas Series Islay whisky cask beer

Brewer Innis & Gunn has launched its first limited edition beer for 2020: Islay Whisky Cask.

Part of the brewer’s Atlas Series, which draws influence from barrel-aged spirits from across the globe, the 7.4 % amber ale takes inspiration from the world of Scotch Whisky distilling and has been matured in Islay single malt quarter cask barrels.

Islay Whisky Cask is the first of five limited editions Innis & Gunn has planned for this year including: a second beer in The Atlas Series, the return of the brewer’s hugely popular Vanishing Point, and two additional brews in a series yet to be revealed.

Each of the five limited edition beers will be supported by its own specially selected creative – be it photographer or artist – who will tell their own unique version of the beer’s story through the imagery they create.

To mark the launch of Islay Whisky Cask, Innis & Gunn has commissioned stunning photography of the island shot by celebrated photographer Johan Bavman. Bavman hails from Sweden, a key export market for the brewer. He has curated a series of images which capture his take on the island; from the majesty of the crashing coastal waves, through to the grit of the peat workers toiling in the rain, each image provides a different view of an island steeped in whisky folklore.

A delicious, distinctive and warming deep amber ale, Islay Whisky Cask has been slowly matured in special quarter cask whisky barrels from the home of arguably the world’s greatest whiskies.

An image from the new limited edition Innis & Gunn campaign.

The malted ale has absorbed all the deep flavours from the oak – spicy woodsmoke and peat, sea salt and burnt toffee. This, combined with the rich, roasted flavour of the ale has created a beer as unforgettable as the island which inspired it.

Dougal Gunn Sharp, founder and master brewer at Innis & Gunn, said: ‘Islay Whisky Cask is the perfect beer to kick off our limited edition series for 2020. It truly evokes the landscape and environment of the island that inspires it. The rich, peated earth, the sea spray in the air, the centuries of craftsmanship, all infuse the whisky with its distinctive, complex flavours. It’s these flavours that we sought to capture in this limited edition brew.

‘With Islay Whisky Cask, world class Scotch whisky meets our world beating Scottish beer, to create a true one-off beer that’s bold, challenging and very, very special. Johan has done an incredible job capturing the spirit of both the island and the beer with his photography. He’s set the bar extremely high, and there’s plenty more to look forward to in the coming months.’

Innis & Gunn Islay Whisky Cask will be available in strictly limited quantities in the Innis & Gunn Brewery Taprooms and from the Innis & Gunn Online store priced at £5.95 for a 330ml bottle.

• Click HERE for more food and drink news from Scottish Field