Vocation, one of the UK’s largest and fastest growing independent breweries, is launching two special-release barrel-aged beers in collaboration with Scotland-based rare whisky experts Lady of the Glen.
The collaboration combines their shared expertise by ageing beers in rare, specialist whisky casks. The beers are aged in whisky barrels supplied by Lady of the Glen.
Vocation’s Barrel Aged Imperial Stout is a classic expression of the style, first aged in ex-Bourbon barrels before transferring to Laphroaig casks for 11 months. Notes of cacao and cinder toffee from seven malt varieties are used to create this dark, rich, roasted stout, accentuated by Laphraoig’s signature herbaceous harmony of smoke, citrus and seagrass. Vocation Brewery X Lady of the Glen BA Imperial Stout has an abv of 12.9% and is available via Vocation’s online shop www.vocationbrewery.com from Wednesday 13th July in 300ml bottles, with an RRP of £6.75. Vocation’s Smoked Imperial Barrel Aged Stout features a robust and complex mash of eight malts, including a generous percentage of rye and smoked malt for a spicy, peppery bite, balanced out with notes of sweet, smoky molasses, rich dried fruits and dark chocolate. The beer is aged in Aberlour and Caol Ila casks selected to highlight the stout’s inherent flavour profile of sweet baking spices, Lapsang Souchong, and earth, smoky peat – adding roundness and complexity throughout – before being carefully blended and bottled. These whisky barrels were chosen in order to accentuate the properties already present in the stout, such as sweet spice, smoked tea and peat. Vocation Brewery X Lady of the Glen BA Smoked Imperial Stout has an abv of 11.5% and can be purchased from Vocation’s online shop next week in 330ml bottles (RRP £6.75). Gary Farlow, Innovation Brewer at Vocation Brewery, says: “We are delighted to be launching both our Barrel Aged Imperial Stout and our Barrel Aged Smoked Imperial Stout, in collaboration with Lady of the Glen. “Our Imperial Stout aged in Laphroaig casks is dominated by the whisky character from the barrels, with intense, warming peat notes up front, followed by the oak of the barrels, before giving way to the rich roasted espresso and dark chocolate flavours of the stout. “In our second Barrel Aged release, the Caol Ila is arguably more prominent than the Aberlour in the other stout, with the smokiness of both the whisky and the smoked malt in the stout blending together well. The peppery rye in the stout is very subtle, and contrasts well against the honey and sweet spices of the Aberlour cask. This array of complex flavours blend together and complement each other perfectly.” Gregor Hannah, Director of Lady of the Glen, says: Lady of the Glen is an independent bottler bringing international whisky enthusiasts an exclusive taste of Scotland’s traditional spirit. We source, and look after rare single malt whiskies from distilleries across Scotland, turning them into something special through traditional bottling techniques. “We’re really pleased to be working with Vocation to launch these Barrel Aged Stouts and to be able to make use of these wonderful casks with their complex flavour profiles. We have long been admirers of Vocation’s consistent and genuine innovation, and the fact that they feel it their duty to produce the best example of each particular beer style, consistently.” Vocation Brewery is an independent craft brewery based in Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire, founded in 2015 by John Hickling, with just himself, a rebuilt chicken shed and a dog for company. Today the brewery employs 60 staff and a further 60 across three on-trade venues in Hebden Bridge, Leeds and Manchester – brewing and selling over 14 million pints in 2021. They’ve come a long way, but it’s still their vocation. ENDS
Notes to editors:
• Vocation Brewery has just won a number of awards for its beers at the European Beer Challenge 2022. Naughty & Nice won Double Gold; Hop, Skip & Juice won Gold; Smash & Grab won Silver; and Life & Death won Bronze. For more information on the awards, visit: www.europeanbeerchallenge.org • Vocation’s core range comprises: • Life & Death (6.5% abv): a ballsy, US style IPA with flavours of tropical and citrus fruits, with a lingering bitterness set against a smooth malty backbone • Hop, Skip & Juice (5.7% abv): a tropical pale ale with heavy doses of citrussy Simcoe to get lips hopping. • Bread & Butter (3.9% abv): a dry, hopped pale ale using layers of US hops set against a backbone of British malts. What this beer lacks in strength, it makes up for in character. • Heart & Soul (4.4% abv): a session IPA with an intense fruit-salad character that comes from generous additions of US West Coast hops. Notes of passionfruit, gooseberry, pineapple and mango. • For more information about Vocation, please visit www.vocationbrewery.com. • For more information about Lady of the Glen, please click on www.ladyoftheglen.com. Lady of the Glen recently won the Icons of Whisky Independent Bottler of the Year in both the Scottish and Global categories.