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Decisions, decisions.
Last night, on making my way to the bar, I was faced with something like four ales I'd never sampled before (at least not on tap). Now, a big fat greedy sort, with no sense of decorum and very little appreciation of the effects that over-consumption of alcohol causes to an otherwise witty and urbane personality, would just have worked their way through them, skelping back copious amounts of frothy ale giving the consequences as much thought as I have on a simile.

This probably explains the thick and fuzzy head that is precariously attached to my shoulders as I CLATTER the keyboard and try to hang on to the room this morning.

But enough of my tale of sorrow.
Now, if I can remember correctly, one of those beers was Titanic - which went down well - but perversely, I'm reviewing Wildcat.

This beer is named after an animal peculiar to the Scottish Highlands - Felis sylvestris grampia, or Scottish Wildcat. They're pretty rare, having been persecuted almost to the point of extinction, and for a while were only to be found in the extreme northern highlands, but if you're lucky, you might catch a glimpse of one in the area around this brewery.
They look like ordinary household tabbies, but far from being a feral cat, they're a completely different species.


Cairngorm Brewery used to produce beer in the almost inaccessible village of Tomintoul, deep in the Grampian Mountains. A few years ago, however, they made their way over the arctic-like plateaux of the Cairngorms to the tourist trap that is Aviemore. From here, they brew range of premium beers, including: Sheepshagger, Stag, Cairngorm Gold, Nessie's Monster Mash, and Highland IPA, plus a range of seasonal cask ales throughout the year. The beers are brewed from the finest of natural ingredients - Scottish malt and English hops, and some of the purest water in the world which gushes straight off the Cairngorm Mountains. Their beers have no additives and are either cask, or bottle conditioned.

THEY SAY:
"A smooth, deep amber coloured ale with a complex malt, fruit and hop flavour. Strong and distinctive like the powerful sleek Scottish Wildcat it is named after."


The beer pours a deep amber colour with a half-inch or so of tight white foam which sinks a little, but never disappears and leaves a moderate amount of lacing on the glass.

It has a very pleasant, slight sweet aroma, with some nutty tones, a touch of toffee and plenty of noticeable caramel malt. As well as a hint of fruit, there're some earthy hops around, but you have to dig deep for them.

It's medium bodied with a fairly light carbonation. The first taste reveals that the malts are quite toasty and slightly roasted, but not at the expense of losing too much of their sweetness. There's only a minimal hint of fruit - green apples, at a guess - but lots of creamy toffee flavour. Compared to the nose, there's a bit more from the hops on the palate, leafy, woody and sharply bitter. The finish is a little dry and slightly tangy with a somewhat bitter aftertaste.


At 5.1% ABV, this is a tasty beer. It's maybe a tad strong to be classed as a session beer, but that's essentially what it is. It's well balanced, although possibly more malt-orientated than hoppy, but the malts are fairly well roasted. It's not overly complex, and would lend itself to most dishes without any conflict.
Overall, a tasty ale that's uncomplicated and easy to drink. Not a world-beater by any stretch of the imagination, but a good, all-rounder.

Would I drink it again? - Like yeah man, it's far out and wild, cats.

Learn more about this author, Andrew H Brown.
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