750 ml bottle into chalice, bottled on 5/9/2013. Pours slightly hazy/cloudy deep ruby red/copper color with a 1 finger fairly dense light khaki head with solid retention, that reduces to a thin lace cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing clings around the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big raisin, plum, fig, cherry, date, apple, light banana, clove, pepper, toasted oak, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, bourbon, molasses, light vanilla, herbal, and yeast/oak earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/spicy yeast, dark/bready malt, bourbon barrel notes; with great strength. Taste of big raisin, plum, fig, cherry, date, apple, light banana, clove, pepper, caramel, toffee, toasted oak, brown sugar, molasses, brown bread, light vanilla, herbal, and yeast/oak earthiness. Moderate peppery yeast and bourbon/oak spiciness on the finish; with lingering notes of dark/light fruits, caramel, molasses, toffee, toasted oak, clove, pepper, brown sugar, brown bread, herbal, and yeast/oak earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, dark/bready malt, and bourbon barrel flavors; with a great malt/spiciness balance and zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Light-moderate dryness from yeast and bourbon/oak spiciness as well. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a smooth, fairly creamy/bready, and lightly slick balanced mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is fairly well hidden with a light-moderate warmth lingering after the finish. Overall this is an outstanding barrel aged Quadrupel style. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, dark/bready malt, and bourbon barrel flavors; and quite smooth to sip on for the huge ABV. A highly enjoyable sipper.

Thx to MrHangover @ Rampkrot Whale tasting – 65 cl. Bottle sample. Light ruby amber, little white head, a blond quad? Nose is sweet caramel, touch copper, light fruits, sweet spices,… Taste is sweet candy, sticky, light fruits, caramel, very sticky, light pine, very bitter herbs, forest, sticky,… Sticky, oily beer.

750 c&c from France 44. Pours dark copper with no head. Aromas of dark fruit supported with oak notes. Full bodied. Flavor is sweetish dark fruit, bitterness, oak, bourbon, and I really think butterscotch. Or not. There’s a lot going on - except there’s no real heat impact - even in the gullet. It’s far from sticky, and the oak/bourbon certainly keep the malt at bay. Very very nice ale.