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

22 ounce bottle into snifter, no bottle dating. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1 finger dense tan head with great retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lasts. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, molasses, vanilla, toffee, coconut, bourbon, toasted oak, brown sugar, and dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of almonds, licorice, raisin, prune, dates, smoke, herbal, pepper, and roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Touch of booze in the aromas as it warms, but not overwhelming. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malt, bourbon barrel, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast notes; with great strength. Taste of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, molasses, vanilla, toffee, coconut, bourbon, toasted oak, brown sugar, and dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of almonds, licorice, raisin, prune, dates, smoke, herbal, pepper, and roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Light roast/char bitterness and bourbon/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, molasses, vanilla, toffee, coconut, bourbon, toasted oak, brown sugar, dark/brown bread, light licorice/dark fruit, herbal, and roast/toast/oaky earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, bourbon barrel, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; with a great roasted bitter/sweet and bourbon/oak spiciness balance; with zero cloying or acrid/astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from roast bitterness and bourbon/oak spiciness. Light-medium carbonation and full body; with a very smooth, creamy, silky, and velvety mouthfeel that is fantastic. Light sticky hops, chalky roast, and oak tannins. Mildly increasing warmth of 12%, with minimal barrel booziness lingering after the finish. Overall this is an outstanding barrel aged imperial stout! All around awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, bourbon barrel, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the big ABV. Very rich malt complexity with outstanding barrel balance/integration. Never overly boozy, tannic, or drying. Mild complementing yeast fruitiness and balancing earthy hops against sweetness. A highly enjoyable offering.