7

Lots of clove, toffee, caramel, orange.

7.9

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

22 ounce bottle into tulip glass; 2016 vintage bottled in 11/2016. Pours slightly hazy/cloudy reddish orange/copper color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense light khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, clove, peppercorn, orange peel, honey, caramel, brown sugar, toasted bread, bourbon, and oak, with lighter notes of vanilla, coconut, toffee, and herbal/oak/toasted earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of spices, dark/bready malt, and moderate bourbon barrel notes; with great strength. Taste of big cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, clove, peppercorn, orange peel, honey, caramel, brown sugar, toasted bread, bourbon, and oak, with lighter notes of vanilla, coconut, toffee, and herbal/oak/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate herbal/spice bitterness and oak tannin on the finish; with lingering notes of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, clove, peppercorn, orange peel, honey, caramel, brown sugar, toasted bread, bourbon, oak, and herbal/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of spices, dark/bready malt, and moderate bourbon barrel flavors; with a great malt/bitter/spiciness balance, and zero cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Light dryness from bitter/spiciness, increasing through the glass. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/sticky, and lightly tannic balanced mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden, minimal warmth lingering after the finish; with zero barrel booziness. Overall this is a very nice barrel aged spiced imperial amber ale. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of spices, dark/bready malt, and moderate bourbon barrel flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to drink for the big ABV. This is strong but not overwhelming on spices now fresh, which overpowers some of the barrel complexity; but you still do get a nice malt/barrel presence in the background. Would love to age another to see it mellowed out. A very enjoyable offering.