Available each Christmas and sold within at attractive gift box, the taste is bitter at the start, and has a long, luscious finish. The mouthfeel is rather dry, and the alcohol content is also evident there. On pouring, the head is rather thin and even, and mostly dissipates, but beneith it lies an aroma of sherry and complements the flavour perfectly.

The taste of Bishop's Finger is rather clouded by bitterness, but this subsides in the aftertaste, to be replaced by malt. The long finish is accompanied by a smooth malt palate. The head of froth is equally smooth, with good retainment. Toffee malt is the dominant scent. An overall malty beer with great potential. A good 'session ale'.

This special anniversary beer by Shepherd Neame seems to be by no means a limited edition. In fact, I think it’s still around now. It’s slightly stronger than your average Shepherd Neame, but I certainly wouldn’t say it was their best.

It is a mid-golden beer with a bubbly head of froth and a malty aroma, reminiscent of flowers. The first taste is rather bitter, leading to a much better aftertaste full of hops. The texture of 1698 is dry, and bitter on the palate.

This porter is brewed exclusively for Asda supermarket. It’s a really fantastic dark beer, that can be aptly summarised at dark, malty, rich and chocolatey. It has a smooth head of froth that remains solid throughout. The scents it emits are those of malt and a hint of caramel. The caramel becomes dark chocolate on first tasting, though sadly a bit too bitter. The bitterness vanishes in the long-lasting aftertaste, containing chocolate malts. The texture is a bit sharp, though is more than compensated by hints of syrup and caramel. This is a dry, full-bodied beer, and not too fizzy. Make sure you get down to Asda as soon as possible, and taste this and other great exclusive beers.