8.4

Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

Bottle, not refrigerated. How could they not call this Old Exploding Golf Ball Factory? Black with a dense tan head that lasts indefinitely. Aroma of chocolate, very peppery oak, berries, fudge, lurking roasted malt. Really full bodied, almost gloopily viscous at first - seems to thin out a bit after a time. The chocolate is big and not that sweet (perhaps the dark sugary/ rummy element is less than in normal MP IS). There’s a bit of coffee too. The fruity element of the vinous end of things is a bit obscured by the (too) heavy oak, but it’s nice and fairly ripe (maybe Central Victorian Shiraz rather than a local producer?) After a while mildly earthy bitterness grips and you’re just left with that and chocolate. Normal MP IS for me very good but not special. This is. I’d be inclined to wait until next winter if I had another. 8584 17