8.3

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9

22 ounce bottle into chalice, bottled in 11/2016. Pours slightly hazy deep golden amber/light orange color with a small fairly dense and fluffy off white head with poor retention, that reduces to nothing pretty much instantly. No glass lacing, and a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Good appearance. Aromas of big lemon, orange, peach, plum, pear, melon, apricot, red apple, white grape, honey, candi sugar, toffee, vanilla, spicy rye whiskey, coconut, toasted oak, peppercorn, clove, cracker, white bread, light caramel/banana, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/spicy yeast, rye whiskey barrels, candi sugar, pale malts, and light-moderate earthy hop notes; with big strength. Taste of big lemon, orange, peach, plum, pear, melon, apricot, red apple, white grape, honey, candi sugar, toffee, vanilla, spicy rye whiskey, coconut, toasted oak, peppercorn, clove, cracker, white bread, light caramel/banana, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate peppery yeast, and rye whiskey/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of lemon, orange, peach, plum, pear, melon, apricot, red apple, white grape, honey, candi sugar, toffee, vanilla, spicy rye whiskey, coconut, toasted oak, peppercorn, clove, cracker, white bread, light caramel/banana, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a while. Fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, rye whiskey barrels, candi sugar, pale malts, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; with an awesome malt/sugar, and yeast/oak/rye whiskey barrel spiciness balance; with no cloying sweetness after the finish. Fairly crisp/clean finishing. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering yeast/whiskey/oak/tannin spiciness. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth and moderately creamy/bready/grainy/sticky/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is great. Mild increasing warmth of 9.8% and barrel booze after the finish. Overall this is a fantastic barrel aged tripel. All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, rye whiskey barrels, candi sugar, pale malts, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; dangerously smooth, and fairly crisp/clean to drink with the mellowly spicy/tannic/drying finish. Great soft feel. Fantastic balance between Belgian yeast, and rye whiskey barrel presence/integration; with a nice clean candi sugar/pils malt backbone, and solid earthy hop presence. Minimal residual sweetness with crisp dryness; very well attenuated for the ABV. A highly enjoyable offering, and amazingly spot on style example. Reminds me of a paler version of Wizard Burial ground.