Appearance - 9 | Aroma - 8.5 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 9 | Overall - 9

2024 500mL bottle from the brewery, drunk 1/6/26, as pictured.
Hell yeah that's nice bourbon. Backed by brown sugar and light toffee, it gives off big spice, but nothing too intense/dry/tannic or alcoholic. Deep, dark amber colors suggestive of more toasted character and indeed, there's an almost stout-like nuance to it suggesting slight roast. Not sure what birch staves smell like, exactly, but there's definitely some woodiness that isn't your typical oak/bourbon oak. Lingering raisin, spicy bourbon, vanilla and caramel but it doesn't overload on the sweetness.
Rich and malty with excellent carbonation helping clear the palate, though there's no excessive sugar, as the beer is nicely attenuated. Not syrupy, maybe not quite chewy, but still amply malty with an incredible expression of the bourbon, with further wood character assumedly from the birch. Slight tannin on the finish helps give great balance; I'm always worried an big, English barleywine will be too sweet as you drink more than a few sips, but not an issue here. Bourbon, birch, oak and good malt and yeast acidity all keep it oddly drinkable for its size. Like one of the Barreled Souls barleywines that are so well-balanced and drinkable you could just easily dome a full 15% bottle....
This guy is a master! It's shocking that this brewery is completely unknown.