7

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6.5 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5

Bought locally, bottled July 24th 2025.

It pours a clear copper/gold with a finger of foam that shrinks quickly but doesn't go away completely. Lacing is excellent.

The smell is on the sweet side with big Bourbon aromas, caramel malt, light hints of grain, negligible hop presence. Big alcohol...

The taste is very boozy with the Bourbon front and center. Sweetness from it and caramel malt is pretty extreme yet isn't cloying, which I reckon is kind of a contradiction on my part. The alcohol started really big but now, it has calmed down somewhat. Just me getting used to what is going on here.

Pretty fullish body, carbonation is a bit restrained, which I like.

Interesting experiment but I probably won't drink again.

7.4

Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 8

I was happy to learn Founders was re-releasing DKML. The 2017 version was and is the best malt liquor I have tasted. And I do have some experience with the style, a blessing or a liability I am not sure. I found a four pack at a mom-and-pop liquor store in Santa Fe recently and have held off drinking one until I am ready to do a rating. The same taste as the original version? I have no idea what the plan is with the brewer. Meanwhile I have a 12 oz bottle significantly cooled off and ready to go into a globe glass. Very much your normal beer appearance, I see a clear gold with some red to it in the body and a slender skim of white foam to decreases to a ring around the glass. Plenty of carbonation. I smell grain, bit-of-honey candy and some barrel effect. And now a drink. I believe the taste is similar if not the same as it was several years ago and this is a good thing of course. Grain, bourbon, a candy sweetness, malt, some oak and a small bitterness completing. The mouth feel is quite full, a lot of depth, well done in my opinion. This beer remains the best malt liquor of all time with number 2 way, way behind. Congrats to Founders for bringing this one back and not thinking they had to change it up. I call this a powerful, tasty, fulfilling beer. It was worth the wait.

7.1

Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 6.5 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7.5

Pours clear gold. Small white head. Smells of bourbon and booze. Flavor is sweet with caramel, oak, bourbon, grain, and booze.

7.4

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7

Bottle. Caramel malt aroma with notes of toffee, sweet corn, vanilla, bourbon and oak. Pours clear copper colored with a thin white head that has no retention and little lacing. Starts with caramel, toffee and vanilla flavors as well as having a medium body and smooth mouthfeel. Finishes smooth and a touch boozy with sweet corn, oak and bourbon flavors. Hides the booze dangerously well for a good malt liquor.

7

pours a ear Amber Brown. huge bourbon notes and vanilla oak. super booze and super good

7.5

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8

Bottle. What a fantastic beer. This can't be a malt liquor. Slightly sweet up front, well balanced in the middle with a slight bitter finish. Great beer.

7

“It tastes like beer.” -Heather.

7.5

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

Patricks 100724.Pale amber color with a beige head. Aroma is caramel, alcohol, fruit, malt. Flavor is caramel, fruit, malt, bourbon, wood, vanilla. Powerful beer.