Skeleton Key is a blended Scotch whisky created in collaboration with Duncan Taylor, containing peated Bunnahabhain with a high ration of single malt, bottled at 46% ABV. It was one of three whiskies designed for Brewdog’s Boilermaker series to pair with selected Brewdog ales.
It was designed to pair with Jet Black Heart a pitch-black milk stout, full-bodied and offering the promise of dark delights. Smooth, lovely and mild, with cacao, roasted coffee and berry fruits,
Roadtested in the Doghouse, Glasgow
Brewdog’s central servery in Glasgow, a custom bar with grill as hipster and happening as its more traditional-pub cousin in Glasgow’s West End across from Kelvingrove Art Gallery.
It features post-industrial chic, glass and distressed wood, grill dining and beer. It’s a quality re-purposing of imposing Victorian stone architecture for the 21st century plate-glass urban achiever crew.
I tasted the Brewdog Boilermaker Series to a fantastic ‘old guy’ soundtrack of Nick Drake, the Stones, Bob Dylan and Neil Young.
The dram
Whisky
Blended Scotch Whisky
Bottler
Duncan Taylor
Cask
Ex Oloroso sherry cask
Country
Scotland
Region
–
Series
Boilermaker
Chill filtered
No
Age
NAS
Colouring
No
Distillery
Some peated Bunnahabhain
Bottled
2019
ABV
46%
Flavour profile
Nose: Dry smoke first, peaty, slight saltiness before a cooling freshness in the maritime air.
Palate: Acidic salt nuts, oak and smoke with a honey fruit balance to the peat bringing subtle complexity.
Finish: Salty and sweet, fruity, charred campfire logs in the background, slipping down long and smooth.
As a Boilermaker I found it wrestled valiantly with both the Jet Black Heart and the Zombie Cake, but the sweet chunky mid-palate made it my favourite of the boilermaker series to drink on its own.
Slàinte Mhath
2019
2019 was without doubt an interesting year.
In Britain Boris Johnson rode the popular wave of disgust with politicians over their failure to get Brexit done to a landslide election victory, the US-China Trade War rumbled on, tensions flared in the Persian Gulf, fire devastated Notre Dame in Paris, the American illegal migration crisis began to grow, Emperor Narahito acceded to the Chrysanthemum throne in Japan, and Covid escaped into the wild.
On a more personal note, Avengers Endgame sadly brought the soundtrack of the Marvel Universe to a reverse big bang, after bursting into life to the classic guitar riff of AC/DC’s Back In Black in the opening scenes of Iron Man, through the could-not-be-more-appropriate Immigrant Song in Thor Ragnarok, to the quiet desperation of Traffic’s Dear Mr Fantasy in Endgame.
