A French ‘impy’ flavoured with chocolate and vanilla, probably my first French stout even, brewed in the Yonne region in central France. American style longneck bottle with sober yet (post)modern label. Medium thick yet quickly opening, greyish beige head leaving some dots of lacing and a thin veil of greyish foam in the middle, black robe with hazy mahogany edges visible for about half an inch off the edge. Rich nose of coffee liqueur, hot chocolate sauce, whisky, pipe tobacco, vanilla beans but fairly subtle, hints of soy sauce, varnish, candied dates, black coffee, walnut oil, fresh paint. Sweet, chocolate-coated raisin effect in the onset, dried prunes, light gravy-like umami touch, softish carb, thick and full, oily, velvety (oats!) mouthfeel; thick, very chocolatey maltiness, toffeeish and very hazelnutty too, with a retronasal vanilla ice cream accent but not overwhelmingly vanilla; pepper- and nutmeg-like spicy accents in the finish, peppery hop bitterness and long, heating, whisky-like alcohol glow but not too early and very appropriate for the style. Very accomplished new American style RIS from France, doing a better job at subtly and tastefully integrating the chocolate and vanilla aspects into a well-bodied and well-structured whole than many other flavoured imperial stouts do these days. Quite impressed, actually, and probably the best French beer I had to date.