8.1

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

500 ml bottle into snifter, no bottle dating. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a small khaki head with poor retention, that reduces to a thin spotty lace cap that lingers. Slight spotty lacing clings on the glass. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, molasses, bourbon, toasted oak, and dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of coconut, marshmallow, smoke, licorice, raisin, cherry, leather, tobacco, and roast/oak earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malts, bourbon barrels, and light fruity yeast notes; with great strength. Taste of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, molasses, bourbon, toasted oak, and dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of coconut, marshmallow, smoke, licorice, raisin, cherry, leather, tobacco, and roast/oak earthiness. Very mild herbal/roast bitterness and bourbon/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, molasses, bourbon, toasted oak, dark/brown bread, light licorice/dark fruit, and roast/oak earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, bourbon barrels, and light fruity yeast flavors; with a nice roasted bitter/sweet and bourbon/oak spiciness balance; with zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Mild carbonation and full body; with a very smooth, creamy, silky, velvety, and rich mouthfeel that is fantastic. Minimal chalky roast, oak tannins, or dryness. Mildly increasing warmth of 13.5%, with minimal barrel booziness lingering after the finish. Overall this is an outstanding imperial stout! All around awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, bourbon barrels, and light fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the huge ABV. This is supposed to be a hybrid between English RIS and Scotch ale. Awesome complexity and balance between the styles. Super rich malt complexity with perfect barrel integration as usual. Never boozy, tannic, or drying. Mild complementing yeast fruitiness in the background. A highly enjoyable offering. Very unique and well executed as expected from this brewery.