8.5

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

22 ounce bottle into signature mini pint glass; bottled in 10/2018. Pours nearly opaque dark brown/black color with a 1 finger dense and rocky khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice spotty foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a light amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, honey, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, cream, raisins, bourbon, brandy, toasted oak, nuts, and dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of coconut, molasses, licorice, cherry, fig, date, smoke, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, floral, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Bit of booze in the aromas as it warms, but not overwhelming. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/black/roast/bready malts, honey, lactose, raisins, brandy barrels, and light-moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of huge milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, honey, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, cream, raisins, bourbon, brandy, toasted oak, nuts, and dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of coconut, molasses, licorice, cherry, fig, date, smoke, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, floral, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Light-moderate herbal, floral, grassy, peppery hops; roast/char bitterness; and brandy/oak spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, honey, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, cream, raisins, bourbon, brandy, toasted oak, nuts, dark/brown bread, coconut, molasses, licorice, dark fruit, smoke, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, floral, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness on the finish for a while. Amazing complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts, honey, lactose, raisins, brandy barrels, and light-moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; with an awesome roast/hop bitter/sweet and brandy/oak spiciness balance; with no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering hop/char bitterness and brandy/oak spiciness. Light-medium carbonation and fairly full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/velvety, and lightly slick/sticky/chalky/tannic mouthfeel that is fantastic. Mildly increasing warmth of 12.8%, with minimal barrel booziness lingering after the finish. Overall this is an amazing flavored barrel aged Russian imperial stout! All around incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts, honey, lactose, raisins, brandy barrels, and light-moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the huge ABV; with the mellowly bitter/tannic/drying finish. Perfectly balanced rich malts, bourbon barrel aged honey, caramelized lactose, raisins, and brandy barrel presence/integration; with solid fruity yeast and earthy hop presence against sweetness. A highly enjoyable offering, and amazing spot on style example. Best imperial stout they have made yet. Got smoother and more impressive as it warmed up.