Black as night and roasty as hell. Intense char notes add a strong smoky undercurrent to the moderate chocolate and anise sweetness, yet the bourbon keeps things from growing cloy, and the vanilla-tinged oaky/smoky finish creates a lovely boozy fade. Pours full-bodied but not thick, with a firm beige head and good lacing. No doubting this bottle's formidable ABV, but easy to drink regardless. Fine brew, although I should've sat on it for another year or so.

1 liter swing top bottle into snifter; 2017 vintage, barrel 5/40, bottle 207/209. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1 finger fairly dense khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, licorice, raisin, plum, prune, leather, tobacco, whiskey, toasted oak, smoke, charcoal, nuttiness, dark bread, herbal, floral, pine, light coconut/vanilla, and roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malt, whiskey barrel, and moderate earthy hop notes; with great strength. Touch of booze in the aromas as it warms. Taste of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, licorice, raisin, plum, prune, leather, tobacco, whiskey, toasted oak, smoke, charcoal, nuttiness, dark bread, herbal, floral, pine, light coconut/vanilla, and roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Light-moderate roast/char/herbal/pine bitterness and whiskey/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, licorice, dark fruit, leather, tobacco, whiskey, toasted oak, smoke, charcoal, nuttiness, dark bread, herbal, floral, pine, light coconut/vanilla, and roast/toast/oaky earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, whiskey barrel, and moderate earthy hop flavors; with a great roast/hop bitter/sweet balance, and zero acrid/astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from hop/char bitterness and whiskey/oak spiciness. Medium carbonation and full body; with a smooth, creamy/silky/bready/grainy, and fairly sticky/chalky/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is great. Alcohol is extremely well hidden; a mildly increasing warmth of 14%, with zero barrel booze lingering after the finish. Overall this is an awesome barrel aged Russian imperial stout! All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, whiskey barrel, and moderate earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on; with the modestly bitter/tannic/drying finish. Been a long time since I had the regular imperial stout, but it is definitely the base beer. Very unique profile, not like anything I've had before. Nice mix of fruitiness, whiskey barrel, and smokey/charred malts; with nice earthy hop presence. Still fits the base Russian imperial stout profile extremely well. Not any more impressive than the base beer, but really glad I gave it a shot. Got better as it warmed. A very enjoyable slow sipper.

1 Liter swing-top* (capped) from Corti Bros. Pours very dark brown with a dark tan head. Aroma of coconut, dark fruit, wood, vanilla, very dark treacle. Seems to have a smoke note. Smooth and full bodied. Flavor has oak, darkish fruits, arguably cherry and sherry (not port), very dark treacle, maybe vanilla. Maybe a smoke note. A bit earthy. No coffee or chocolate for me. Whiskey could be present and fooling me into thinking it's sherry. Dead Guy whiskey is rather different from many others. There's heat, but it's easy to ignore while trying to parse all the flavors. It's not dry, and it's not bitter, but something like the whiskey seems to take up for hops flavor. I am rather confused on the flavor profile, but it is really good tasting ale. *Barrel 27/40 and Bottle 53/209.

On tap at McKay's Taphouse, pours black with a small brown head. Aroma brings out lots of roasted malt, light cocoa and some booze. Flavour is robust, with rich molasses, oak, alcohol and medium roasted malt. Everything is cohesive, leaving a warming, medium-heavy sweet finish. Big brutal beer that works pretty well in small amounts.