7.5

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8

2013 bottle, carefully cellared since this afternoon turned chilly. Clear deep amber with a beige head that laces well. Rather grand aroma of dried fruit and toasted nuts, toffee, fruitcake spices. A whiff of alcohol. Getting towards syrupy. Sweet dough, toffee, prunes, sultanas, figs. Some praline, but it’s not as nutty as the first whiff suggests. Light oak, slightly peppery. Bitterness is certainly still present and deals sufficiently with the sweetness to make a finish. Some booze at the end. Rather a lot really. Hints of Oloroso, but this barleywine (BA quad, wvr) still has a few good years in it.