Tactical Nuclear Penguin (32%!) by Brew Dog

Firstly, I must temper any comments made within this entry as my debut drink of a `TNP` was on a recent stag-do in Newcastle so my experience could be deemed a tad`hazy`. However, in my defence, this tipple was imbibed early on in the night, so I KNOW I enjoyed it!

Although I had tried some Brew Dog products previously and mostly enjoyed them, Newcastle was the first visit I had made to a Brew Dog establishment. Although controversial and not every drinker`s proverbial cup of tea, these Scots certainly have every base covered when it comes to style. The Brew Dog branding must be the most recognisable since the black stuff arrived from Dublin, or at least the Broon from the Toon! My recollection of the Penguin was that it was smoky and nutty, more like a spirit than an ale. I`m not a whisky drinker by any stretch of the imagination, but it did have hints of brandy to my uneducated spirit taste-buds. It is double casked in production using local whisky barrels for well over a year so the taste is complex. All the stag`s entourage / mob tried this drink attracted by the fantastic name, no doubt, and most said it tasted like medicine. Not sure whether description this is good or bad but the groom-to-be look like he needed another dose the next day! We drank it as a `chaser` to accompany the Flying Dog pint we had also purchased and this seemed to work well.

At £5 per `nip` this one was a rare treat and was once touted as the world`s strongest beer but the `real` real ale campaigners might not approve of the Brew Dog or of its Tactical Nuclear Penguin! You decide!

Mike`s Score - 8.666