Nowt Mary took the top prize at the World Alcohol-Free Awards, which tells you something about how seriously Ilkley took the brief. This is a proper stout — opaque black in the glass with a tan head that settles quickly — and it earns the milk stout label through genuine lactose-derived body rather than a thin approximation of one. The aroma is sweet and roasty: roasted barley, a little coffee and cinnamon, with faint blackberry and a hint of citrus underneath. On the palate, the bitterness builds steadily as you drink, anchored by that same roasted barley backbone. It's light to medium-bodied with a slightly syrupy texture that works in its favour — this is a stout you're meant to linger over, not race through. At 27 calories per 100ml, it's not the lightest option in the AF category, but for what it is — a dark, complex pint that actually holds its own — that feels like a reasonable trade.