Quinquennium – Whisky Sherry Cask Imperial Stout 13.2%

Quinquennium – Whisky Sherry Cask Imperial Stout 13.2%

November 2017 was where it all started. Five years ago, our owner and founder Sean fired up a rickety, wood-bound brewkit, retrofitted to brew the hop-forward, ultra modern beers he was most passionate about, and with that, a brewery was born. From those extremely humble beginnings brewing once every eleven days out of a converted stable house, through some dizzying highs and terrifying lows, the dream has kept on keeping on, and we find ourselves where we are today – a modern, sophisticated brewery, in a space twelve times the size of our original brew space, capable of brewing up to eight times a week, looking after the livelihoods of fourteen incredibly talented team members, all of whom work for one of the brightest lights in British beer today. 

With all of this in mind, we wanted to go big on our fifth birthday celebrations – half a decade of Polly’s is a big landmark for us, and what better way to celebrate five years than launching our barrel ageing program. Quinquennium was the next step in our brewing journey, and our first foray into working with wood. Wanting to pay homage to our home country, we’ve used Welsh whisky barrels, themselves ex-sherry barrels, to create an aged Imperial Stout perfect for a big occasion such as this. A thickly decadent pour beholds a deliciously complex beer; with roasted coffee, dark chocolate, and dark fruits on the front, before an introduction of sweet toffee and hazelnuts from the oak and a warming booziness finish things off. This version is the brewer’s reserve edition; kept in wood barrels for a little longer, to impart an even more decadent experience for the drinker.