Traquair House Ale

Traquair House is Scotland’s oldest inhabited house with a history of just over 900 years dating back to 1107 when it was a hunting lodge for Scotland’s royalty.  The house is currently owned by Lady Catherine Maxwell Stuart, whose family has been living there since 1491.  Traquair House has had a brewery off and on over its long history, with the last one prior to the current one stopping production around 1800.  Although the beer produced was used for the staff, residents, and guests of the house.  The current brewery, revived in 1965 by Catherine’s father Peter Maxwell Stuart, uses the equipment from that brewery!  This includes a 200+ year old copper kettle and oak fermenting vats.

The Traquair House brewery is still a tiny operation, only producing about 900 British Barrels of beer a year.  A British barrel is approximately 43.2 US gallons.  In US beer barrels, Traquair produces about 1,250 bbls a year.  This is a tiny amount.  The currently produce two beer: a House Ale and a Jacobite Ale.

Appearance: Mahogany brown, tan head, solid retention.

Aroma: Figs, oak, raisins, toffee, spicy notes.

Taste: Mossy, chocolate, toffee, molasses, tobacco, leather, light smokiness, oaky finish.

Overall Impression:  This is another great example of a Scotch ale.  This is a style that I’ve been getting into lately and really enjoying, including this example.  The  malt character is interesting and is nicely countered with some good British Isles yeast.  The balancing oak notes add a unique level of depth to this classic beer.

Availability: This brewery’s limited production keeps this item fairly limited.  If you see it at one of the better beer stores, check it out.  Imported by Merchant du Vin.

7.2% ABV

Note: This bottle was provided by Merchant du Vin for review.