Stubborn Russian 2014

Pours black with a small tan head.Nose shows cocoa, coffee grounds, liquorice and heavy roasted malt.Very roasty flavours, quite dry, somewhat boozy. Almost acrid. Some coffee notes.

So it seems this version has some of a stock ale aged in a whisky barrel blended into it. Bottle. Black with an inch of tan head that lasts well. Fruity and earthy aroma with chocolate, plums, muscat, whisky, fruitcake spices. Taste has mocha, whisky, spices and an interesting sour plum/ berry note that’s a little astringent. Fairly bitter and a bit ashy at the end. Like this a little less than the old version as it is now, but this may well be spectacular in a couple of years.