In my last foray to the local bottle shop, I bought two varieties of Scottish Ale, an Orkney brew, two varieties of Stone Imperial Russian Stout, and my favorite, Eel River's Raven's Eye Imperial Stout.
The Scottish Ale is brewed by Innis & Gunn, Edinburgh. One variety is the original Oak Aged beer and the second is aged in a Rum cask. I prefer the Rum Cask with a hint of rum.
http://www.innisandgunn.com/thebeer_newproducts.htm
The Orkey Ale is SkullSplitter, which is more like a Stout. It's really good.
I had the unadulterated Stone Imperial Russian Stout, and the Imperial Russian Stout (Belgo Anise). The Imperial Stout was OK, but the Stout with anise was - um - weird. What was I thinking?!
As for Eel River's Raven's Eye Imperial Stout - yes! My favorite so far. It comes in 22 oz bottles around $7/bottle, but one can find it on sale at ~$5/bottle.
http://www.eelriverbrewing.com/ravens-eye-stout.html
http://www.eelriverbrewing.com/organic-porter.html (This I have to try)
If one has ever had Lost Abbey Angel's Share, Eel River Raven's Eye Imperial Stout is like a lighter version.
http://www.lostabbey.com/lost-abbey-beers/non-denominational-ales/the-angels-share/
At about $45/bottle, Angel's Share is best shared among a group of friends.
Important measurements to bear in mind:
12 oz = 354 ml
16 oz = 473 ml
22 oz = 650 ml
25.4 oz = 750 ml
The US really needs to adopt metric.
I definitely have to explore the complementarity of Porters and Stouts with Scotch, Rum, Bourbon and Brandy. So far, Scottish ale and Rum seem to work, but Porters and Stouts might be wonderfully complementary with Rum. Finding the right Scotch, blend or single malt is tricker.