(650ml bottle shared) Pours black with a big cream coloured head and a little lace. Aroma is bourbon, toffee, umami, capers, coffee, coconut, chocolate, wet wood. Flavour is lightly sweet, dark malt, cold brew coffee, cacao, coffee grounds, salt liquorice, umami, a little spirit heat with touches of bourbon, creamy coconut, light roast, finish is pretty dry, toasty wood, coffee, light vanilla. A touch thin for style, softly carbonated, touch of booze heat. A very solid RIS, the adjuncts show up well but are not overwhelming, and neither is the barrel. If anything it could be slightly more robust, but it is very smooth.

Bottle from the brewery. Pitch black with a large slow fading dark khaki head that laces well. Bourbon leads the nose with healthy doses of coffee and cocoa, and lighter appearances by vanilla, molasses, wood, tobacco and dark fruit. Medium- milk chocolate and molasses sweetness under a medium+ coffee and dark chocolate bitterness and a light plum tartness towards the finish. Mouth is full and silky with medium carbonation and a lingering bitter finish where the warmth of 11.9% becomes obvious. 9/5-/9-/4+/18-