7.9

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

22 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled on 11/22/2018. Pours hazy nearly opaque dark ruby red/brown color with a 1 finger fairly dense and fluffy light khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of raisin, plum, prune, cherry, fig, date, peach, pear, melon, apricot, red apple, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, and brown bread; with light notes of licorice, molasses, leather, tobacco, herbal, floral, grass, pepper, and yeast/toast/oaky earthiness. Touch of increasing booze in the aromas as it warms; a bit too fruity/yeasty, but not overwhelming. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of fruity yeast, dark/bready malts, bourbon barrels, and light earthy hop notes; with solid strength. Taste of big raisin, plum, prune, cherry, fig, date, peach, pear, melon, apricot, red apple, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, and brown bread; with light notes of licorice, molasses, leather, tobacco, herbal, floral, grass, pepper, and yeast/toast/oaky earthiness. Mild herbal, floral, grassy, peppery hop bitterness; and bourbon/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of dark fruit, peach, pear, melon, apricot, red apple, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, brown bread, light licorice/molasses, leather, tobacco, herbal, floral, grass, pepper, and yeast/toast/oaky earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity yeast, dark/bready malts, bourbon barrels, and light earthy hop flavors; with a great malt/bitterness and bourbon/oak spiciness balance; with no cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness and bourbon/oak/alcohol spiciness after the finish. Light-medium carbonation and fairly full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready, and lightly slick/sticky/tannic mouthfeel that is great. Lightly increasing warmth of 13.5%, with minimal lingering barrel booze after the finish. Overall this is an excellent barrel aged English barleywine. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity yeast, dark/bready malts, bourbon barrels, and light earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the huge ABV, with the mildy bitter/tannic/drying finish. Awesome balance of rich malts and fruity yeast complexity; with great bourbon barrel presence/integration, and mild earthy hop presence against sweetness. A very enjoyable offering, and well made style example as expected.