8.6

Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

22 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled in 11/2015. Pours pitch black color with a 2 finger dense and fluffy tan head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a large cap that lasts. Dense soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a good amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Incredible appearance! Aromas of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, wood smoke, toast, dark bread, char, herbal, wood, pine, and roast/smokey earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of roast/bready/smoked malt and moderate earthy/piney hop notes; with great strength. Taste of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, wood smoke, toast, dark bread, char, herbal, wood, pine, and roast/smokey earthiness. Moderate roast/char and herbal/pine bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, wood smoke, toast, dark bread, char, herbal, wood, pine, and roast/smokey earthiness on the finish for a while. Fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of roast/bready/smoked malt and moderate earthy/piney hop flavors; with a nice bitterness/sweetness balance and zero astringent flavors after the finish. Moderate dryness from roast/hop bitterness as well. Medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/silky, and sticky/chalky balanced mouthfeel that is great. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a slight warming lingering after the finish. Overall this is an outstanding smoked imperial stout! All around awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of roast/bready/smoked malt and moderate earthy/piney hop flavors; and very smooth and easy to sip on for the ABV. A highly enjoyable offering.