2023 500mL bottle drunk 3/28/26.
Cacao mixing with spicy rye and a bit more lactose than I'd like to see. Char/roast is fairly heavy and there's anise character further deepening the dark, black character. Just doesn't seem to be ameliorated by anything brighter/spicier/softer. No sweet fudge or fruity barrel. Almost smells like raw molasses at points, but not boozey, at least.
Softer and sweeter in the mouth but there's a huge burst of anise licorice character initially. Balances against the sweet, caramel-rich maltiness and light fudge. Like the nose, no alcohol noted whatsoever. And the lactose isn't as heavy as the nose suggests, either, thankfully. There's cookie, chocolate, caramel and fudge all the while balanced by that undercurrent of strong black licorice. It somewhat grows on me, and thank god it's vastly better than the nose, but still a bit of an odd one. Cola-herb-licorice with a big, milky-caramel-fudge sweetness is not exactly my idea of a good time, but they make it work better than it should. Barrel character is severely lacking, but the barrel aging is felt, at least (no big, punchy sugar, and has soft, round textures).