Taster showing pitch black with no head.

The nose shows moderately intense notes of smoky bourbon.

The palate is lightly carbonated and light bodied. Lightly sweet but all espresso.

Bottle shared at RBBWG 2023. Black color, small off-white head. Smell and taste are malts, lightly oxidized brown malts, bitterness is okay but I miss bourbon tbh. Boozy still but not the fine bourbon that was in some of the others we tried this evening. Still alright.

9/XII/23 - 12Fl. Oz. bottle @ BBGG winter 23-24, BB: n/a, 2016 vintage (2023-1145) Thanks to Kraddel for sharing the bottle!

Clear dark brown beer, practically no head. Aroma: oxidized, earthy, dried fruits, earthy, good roast, dusty. MF: ok carbon, medium body. Taste: malty, good roast, some caramel, pretty bitter, dry, spicy touch, a bit oxidized, some alcohol, sugary. Aftertaste: caramel, lots of alcohol, bitter, dry, more alcohol, a bit sugary, malty.

I rated my first plead the fifth BBA back in 2013, and had the 2011 vintage. Ever since, i kept some different vintages since i truly loved the beer ! Now it seems I have 2 of 2016, so don't have to break up my small vertical to try it again tonight. Early 2021 as of time of this review, so roughly 4 years old beer in the bottle before me. Always kept in my cellar, I believe I bought this reasonably fresh in Belgium ? Anyway. pours black, with a small , darkly tanned head with medium low to low stability. Scent blasts of coffee, roastyness, relatively intense, of course no thick sugarbomb we're used to these days in our pastry styles. Bourbon is relatively mild, providing some vanilla. Taste is fairly full. To the sweet side, but with a very nice roastyness. Think pure, dark chocolate and coffee, as always. A smooth grainy vanilla touch by the barrel. Medium thick body for the style, which is (again) not in today's line of 'thick' but certainly very respectable. medium low carbonation. Medium high to even high bitterness for an Imperial stout, than again this is the way stouts were earlier on. Bourbon has smoothened out. An all-in-balance beer, for sure. i'm not as blown away as I previously was. Perhaps this beer isn't ment to age 4 years, perhaps it's just my palate and what I got used to by now. Still a very nice BBA Impy though, with flawless quality.