7.1

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

22 ounce bottle into snifter, 2017 vintage bottling. Pours dense opaque dark brown/black color with a 1 finger fairly dense and fluffy tan head with poor retention, that reduces to a nothing pretty quickly. No head retention, and a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Good appearance. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, toffee, licorice, raisin, prune, cherry, fig, date, bourbon, toasted oak, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of smoke, charcoal, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Mild booze in the aromas as it warms. A bit too fruity/yeasty aromas, but not too overwhelming. Nice aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/black/roast/bready malts, fruity yeast, bourbon barrels, and light earthy hop notes; with big strength. Taste of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, toffee, licorice, raisin, prune, cherry, fig, date, bourbon, toasted oak, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of smoke, charcoal, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Mild herbal, grassy, roast, charred bitterness; bourbon/oak tannin spiciness; and yeast tang/tartness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, toffee, licorice, raisin, prune, cherry, fig, date, bourbon, toasted oak, dark bread/crust, smoke, charcoal, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness on the finish for a while. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts, fruity yeast, bourbon barrels, and light earthy hop flavors; with a solid hop/roast bitter/sweet, and bourbon/oak spiciness balance; with no cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness and bourbon/oak spiciness. Light carbonation and very full body; with a very creamy/slick/silky/bready, and lightly syrupy/sticky/chalky/tannic mouthfeel that is good, Just a bit too sweet/thick. Mild increasing warmth of 8.7%, and lingering barrel booze after the finish. Overall this is a nice barrel aged imperial porter. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts, fruity yeast, bourbon barrels, and light earthy hop flavors; smooth and easy to sip on for the ABV, with the mildly bitter/tannic/spicy/tart/drying finish. This did not age too gracefully. Nice rich malts and bourbon barrel presence/integration; but a bit too yeasty/fruity. Not overly sweet/heavy from lingering dryness. A nicely enjoyable offering.