7.8

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

Got in a BIF from MacMalt. 750 ml bottle into snifter, 2017 vintage bottling. Pours moderately hazy deep orange/copper color with a 1 finger fairly dense and fluffy cream colored head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of golden raisin, peach, plum, pear, apricot, red apple, caramel, brown sugar, bourbon, toasted oak, and brown bread; with lighter notes of coconut, vanilla, toffee, leather, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Touch of increasing booze and stone fruits as it warms, 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 golden raisin, peach, plum, pear, apricot, red apple, caramel, brown sugar, bourbon, toasted oak, and brown bread; with lighter notes of coconut, vanilla, toffee, leather, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Light herbal/grassy bitterness and bourbon/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of golden raisin, peach, plum, pear, apricot, red apple, caramel, brown sugar, bourbon, toasted oak, brown bread, light vanilla/toffee. leather, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Very nice 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 zero cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness and bourbon/oak spiciness. Light-medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a smooth, creamy/bready/grainy, and lightly sticky/tannic mouthfeel that is nice. Mildly increasing warmth for 10.6%, with minimal barrel booziness lingering after the finish. Overall this a very nice English barleywine. All around nice fruity yeast, dark/bready malts, bourbon barrels, and light earthy hop flavors; dangerously smooth to sip on for the ABV. Not as rich on malt sweetness as I expected, but fits the style really well. Very well balanced fruity yeast and bready malts; not a ton of barrel, but adequate. A very enjoyable offering.