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A unique collaboration
Where beer and whisky meet
As you know, we’re all about Scotch whisky here at Laphroaig. When we do enjoy a beer, though, we want it to be the very best. That’s why we love teaming up with our fellow Scots Innis & Gunn brewery to make something a bit different: Islay Whisky Cask Ale. This year’s edition of our collaboration is very special indeed.
Based in Edinburgh, Innis & Gunn are an iconic brewery who always push their craft to the next level, creating brilliant flavours that have earned them a reputation for making great beer. We’re big fans – and we think the feelings mutual. They’ve got a real talent for making cask-matured beer, which brings us on to what this strictly limited-edition collaboration is all about.
The spirit of Laphroaig in a beer
It’s become a bit of a tradition here at Laphroaig. Each year, we say goodbye to casks of our much-loved 10 Year Old Single Malt Whisky and send them off to begin the next chapter of their journey at Innis & Gunn’s brewery. After they arrive, they’re lovingly filled with beer that soaks up the atmosphere of our casks, maturing into this distinctive Scottish red ale.
Our new, 2025 instalment to the series is a true original. As it catches the light, you’ll notice a chestnut colouring, and a port-rediness. On the nose, you’ll really sense the influence of the cask. Expect clean woody notes and the peaty smokiness you associate with Laphroaig’s unmistakable character as well as hints of almond, biscuity notes and chocolate.
To taste, it has a more warming, intense flavour than you’d get with an ordinary beer. It offers up a nod to the sweetness of demerara sugar, along with hints of oak that blends with maltiness, marzipan and even a suggestion of sticky toffee pud.
Each sip rewards you with more layers of flavour, plus a lingering smokiness, wood notes and a delicious treacly-syrupiness on the finish. It’s a proper tribute to the drinks-making heritage of Islay – and a fantastic example of what can happen when masters of their craft put their heads together to make something new.
It’s best poured cold into a goblet-style glass – and don’t be shy, a good glug is best to ensure a generous head. We think it pairs nicely with a dram of Laphroaig alongside, and maybe some Nocellara olives, slow cooked beef brisket (ideally braised in Islay Cask Beer – trust us) or maybe even a serving of sticky toffee pudding to complement that note on the beer’s finish. And if you’re going for the sticky toffee pudding, it would be a shame not to pair it with some toasted barley ice cream as well. Perfect.
A box worthy of its contents
To take this spirit of collaboration to the next level, we asked an artist to create a one-off artwork for the whisky’s box. And we knew just the person for the job.
We’ve been fans of Charlie Parsons’ work for a good while now. He’s a proper Scottish original, a master of mood and light who’s incredibly talented at painting the coastal landscape at different times of the day and in different seasons.
Charlie used his shrewd eye to capture the peaceful power of the Islay coast, bottling the moment as sunlight pierces through brooding cloud cover and onto the milky blue ocean. As you pick up the Islay Whisky Cask Ale box and take a second to soak up Charlie’s art, you really feel like you’re stood there on the southern shore of our island, looking out across Loch Laphroaig towards Texa and Kintyre and just taking it all in.
It’s a nice touch, which means that wherever you enjoy your bottle of Islay Whisky Cask Ale, the rugged beauty of our stretch of coast is right beside you – even if the real thing is hundreds or even thousands of miles away. A worthy bonus for anyone who secures a bottle of this special collaboration.
Speaking of which, you’re probably wondering where you can find a bottle! This is a limited edition 2025 edition – once it’s gone, it’s gone – so act fast to get yours. You can purchase it from select retailers and at Innis & Gunn’s fantastic brewery taprooms.
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