Edinburgh Brewery Presents Ultimate Christmas Tipple for Craft Beer Lovers
- Guild Secretary
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
Christmas has come early for UK fans following the release of a limited-edition craft ale from a leading Edinburgh microbrewery.
The team behind Edinburgh’s Cold Town Beer have poured their passion into the extra special ‘Barrel Aged Imperial Stout’, which has been described as the ultimate Christmas tipple for craft beer connoisseurs, due to its smooth whisky character and deep complexity.
The Barrel Aged Imperial Stout is aged in Speyside whisky casks, making it a rare and extra special festive treat worthy of Santa himself.
Christmas shoppers have just until Friday 19th December to snap up fewer than 1,000 cans of Cold Town Beer’s ‘Barrel Aged Imperial Stout’ online and through independent Scottish retailers, while limited stocks last.
This Speyside whisky cask finished pastry stout is a rich, dark and opaque liquid with a lusciously smooth, velvety texture and a distinctively deep mouthfeel.
On the nose, the aroma is a symphony of decadence, with notes of dark malt and a whisper of Speyside malt whisky. The sweetness of this beer is pronounced yet balanced by a subtle bitterness and soft effervescence.
Ian Kennedy, Head of Production for Edinburgh’s Cold Town Beer, said:
“With fewer than 1,000 cans of our Barrel Aged Imperial Stout now available, only a small number of dedicated beer lovers will get the chance to taste this one-of-a-kind release this Christmas.
“We’re incredibly proud of what it represents as part of our ongoing journey to craft world-class, award-winning stouts.
“Our first batch of imperial stout — aged in a different whisky cask — went on to win overall Beer of the Year at the London Beer Competition 2025, so it’s exciting to see what unique character this new cask has brought to the same base recipe.
“Each cask tells its own story, and this one has nurtured something truly special over the past year.”
The base beer for Barrel Aged Imperial Stout is taken from Cold Town Beer’s Topic Thunder Stout, which took home a gold medal at last year’s London Beer Competition.
Cold Town Beer has also just won the top gold award for the first release of its Barrel Aged Imperial Stout in the ‘Bottle & Can Speciality & Flavoured Beer’ category at the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) Digital Indie Beer Awards 2025.
Cold Town Beer’s limited edition ‘Barrel Aged Imperial Stout’ (9.4% ABV) is available as a three-pack gift box, as part of a mixed 12-pack, or can be purchased as a pack of 12 for £72. Pricing is variable depending on the format.
For more information on Cold Town Beer’s ‘Barrel Aged Imperial Stout’ and to purchase online by Friday 19thDecember with guaranteed UK mainland delivery before Christmas, go to https://coldtownbeer.com/product/barrel-aged-imperial-stout
For more information on Cold Town Beer and its core range, go to https://coldtownbeer.com and follow on social media, including Instagram www.instagram.com/coldtownbeer and Facebook www.facebook.com/Coldtownbeer
For more information on the SIBA Digital Indie Beer Awards 2025, go to www.siba.co.uk/digitalbeerawards
Ends
Notes to editor
PHOTOS
Photos of Cold Town Beer's limited edition ‘Barrel Aged Imperial Stout’ are available on Dropbox via the link below. Please credit Cold Town Beer, Edinburgh:
Stout sales growth
According to the global leader in data, analytics and insights for the beverage alcohol industry, IWSR, stout volumes in the UK grew more than 24% between 2019 and 2023 and rose by more than 12% in 2023 alone.
More recently, the world's leading consumer intelligence company, NIQ reports stout had 10.6% year-on-year growth in on-trade (pub/bar) in 2025, and stout now accounts for 9.5% of all UK beer volumes, up 0.6 percentage-points from the prior year.
Barrel Aged Imperial Stout
A small quantity of Cold Town Beer’s award-winning brew was allowed to sleep for almost a year in an oak cask previously used to hold a highly regarded Speyside whisky – the name of which is a jealously guarded secret. The result is a quite stunning beer of which fewer than 1,000 cans have been produced.
Contains: (Allergens in bold)
Malted Barley (Gluten), Hops, Yeast, Lactose (Milk)
Key tasting notes
Dark & opaque
Dark malt, whisky
Full bodied, rich, warming
Brew
STYLE: Barrel Aged Pastry Stout
HOPS: Magnum
MALT: Malted Barley, Oats
ABV: 9.4%
Delivery
Mainland UK only. Free delivery for all orders over £50
Collection
This product can be collected from Cold Town House, 4 Grassmarket, Edinburgh, EH1 2JU. Collection Available Sunday – Friday 12pm – 7pm. 72-hours’ notice required on all collections.
Contact:
Communications Specialist & Director
Jonathan James Perkins MCIPR Limited
Travel & Tourism | Food & Drink | Hospitality
Email: jonjamesperkins@gmail.com
Mobile: 07894 711 515
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