Swashbuckler Highland Heather Ale

Earlier this year, I went to the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire.  They have their own brewery there, Swashbuckler Brewing Company, so I bought a bottle of their Highland Heather Ale.  It caught my attention because it's made with heather flowers, not hops, so it sounds more like a Scottish gruit (which I've only had once before, a LONG time ago):

Vittles:
Specialty Beer (gruit)
7.5% abv

Score:
Appearance: 7/10
Aroma: 19/25
Taste: 30/40
Mouthfeel: 7/10
Style: 4/5
Drinkability: 7/10
Overall: 74/100

Impression:
Not that great of an appearance -- it looks murky and hazy.  The aroma is very interesting -- smoky peat stands out the most, followed closely by old leather, with caramel, honey, floral, and fruity notes lurking in the background.  As the beer warms, the aroma improves, so I tried to score on an average above, since my initial reaction was like 15/25, but by the end of the glass, I found it much more pleasing.  The flavor profile is similarly smoky and leathery -- it tastes like whiskey would if you eliminated most of the alcohol, but there's more of a sweetness to this beer, almost like honey.  I went into tasting this thinking it wouldn't be too different from a regular beer, so once I got over the differences and started to taste this without trying to compare it to other beers, it became much more enjoyable.  It does have a pretty thin mouthfeel, so it seems more watery than I'd like.  I think the very strong earthiness would throw most people off; I like earthy, but this hits near the top of my earthy limit.  Still, I found that I only disliked this brew because of the expectations I had going in.  Once I was able to get past that, I was able to appreciate the flavors much more.  When I first tasted this one, I was ready to pour it down the sink and give it an F, but as I tried another sip and then another, it started to grow on me.  By the time I finish the glass, I was thinking more like high C range, but I tempered the scores to reflect my initial reactions as well.  If you're not into earthy/smoky flavors, or if you're looking for something akin to "real beer," this probably isn't up your alley.  But, if you don't mind experimenting, you might find you enjoy this one.  I'm considering homebrewing a gruit, just to try my hand at it.

Cheers!