7.8

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

Bottle. Black with a tan head that crackles down to a coat. Aroma of chocolate, roasted barley, blackberries, oak. Silky, quite full-bodied for the ABV. Carbonation could be lower for me. Moderate sweetness, more berries than mocha, lots of roasted barley, oaky and peppery. Quite vinous, would have guessed Shiraz rather than Pinot Noir. Some licorice. Complicated yet restrained. Very good. So much for low beer miles. [3.8]Bottle #5/450. Tan head is puffy and well-retained, carbonation is lower. Flavours are much the same but mesh a little more. Less peppery, more cigar box. Please do this again and leave some at this end.