Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 7

Pitch black color. Med-dark brown head. Rich nose of coffee, dark chocolate and prunes. A good rendition of the style in the nose. Echigo’s ever present house yeast is noticable from the initial sip. Mouth full of dark chocolate, whisky, but there is a somewhat plasticy taste that distracts, but overall it is a pleasent experience. There is also solid bitterness in the mouth. A nice warming sensation as it goes down with a dark chocolate and whisky finish. Very nice, but a bit too carbonated. If this was in cask, this stuff would go off.