Ah the heady days of 2011, I remember them well: Darren Clarke won the Open golf, Game of Thrones premiered, Gaddafi and bin Laden exited this world and Ards Brewing came into being.

The Greyabbey outfit is one of Northern Ireland’s oldest craft breweries and although it falls well behind 1996 for Whitewater and 1981 for Hilden (see a full list of NI breweries here), a run of thirteen years is mightily impressive for what is effectively a one-man band.

Some of my Ards favourites over the years include Pig Island (West Coast style pale ale) and Befuggled (English pale ale) but it’s in the stout tank where the real magic happens – or more specifically in the whiskey cask.

Back in 2020 and 2021 Ards released a couple of Irish whiskey barrel aged stouts so how have they fared in the 330ml bottles since then? We’ll start with the Bushmills version from February 2021. The refreshingly simple text-only label says barrel aged for twelve months with a robust but not mind blowing ABV of 8.4%.

My first thought on my first sip is one of a fruit loaf; raisins and malt with a touch of dark chocolate, edging on the side of sweet rather than bitter. The whiskey influence isn’t overly noticeable but you’re just about aware that there’s a very small and smooth vanilla nip still in there somewhere.

Let’s follow that up with the Quiet Man version from May 2020. It’s not as fruity as the Bushmills but there’s more chocolate sweetness in there backed up with a slight Brazil nuttiness – add a dash of balsamic vinegar and liquorice into the mix too. There’s a bit more of a direct whiskey hit with this one but it’s still low on the chart. Smooth and subdued.

Three/four years after being released, both these bottles are holding up well – according to my notes there’s not a great deal of difference between now and then. They were highly enjoyable then and that opinion still rings true now, so if you have a bottle or two in your stash get them cracked open and enjoy.