8.1

Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

375ml @ Matt's (thx a lot for the beer!) house. Appearance: very dark with a dark beige head. Aroma: boozy, lots of charred oak, inky, some fruity character. Taste: along the same lines, quite boozy, charred barrel, and a lot of spirit. Kind of on the thin side somehow. Overall: it's pretty unique for sure, but it almost tastes to me like Imperial Stout with a splash of bourbon. Why almost? It's just because it has better integration, for sure, than just a stout with dumped bourbon.

8.2

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

2016 vintage. 375mL bottle, pours black with a small tan head. Aroma does not seem oxidized at all, with big, succulent bourbon barrels with so many layers -- damn. Flavour is still very complex, with some hot bourbon that must've mellowed over the past 8 years, attenuated dark sugar, alcohol, and more bourbon. Carbonation is soft but not flat. Having not had this fresh -- but interpreting the old ratings -- this must be in a much better place now. Delightful and nice to be able to have found this on the shelf where I did.

7.4

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

Dark brown, with not much head. But it is 8 years old. The aroma has an assertive barrel note, sticky dark sugars, a bit of alcohol. There's no carbonation to speak of, and that has the sugar gliding over the palate. It comes across a bit slick, stale, despite the brightness in the aroma. A touch of fruit lends it something of an old ale sort of character. So I like the aroma better than the taste.

8.4

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

12oz bottle at share. Dark brown pour, a few bubbles. Strong, boozy aroma, roasty. Taste is sweet and strong, potent, roasty bitterness, sticky finish.

8.8

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

Bottle pour. Pure bourbon barrel. Loads of vanilla and oaky notes. Some roastiness. Awesome. --- Beer merged from original tick of Ancient One Bourbon Barrel Aged Dark Star (2016) on 04 May 2023 at 16:29 - Score: 9. Original review text: Pure bourbon barrel. Loads of vanilla and oaky notes. Some roastiness. Awesome.

8

All barrel

7.8

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

Sample from the bottle, Copenhagen. Aromas and flavors: Ripe fruits, raisins...

9

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

Bottle @ Dangerous Bolche-share. Pours pitch black with a small dark brown head. Aromas of dark chocolate, toffee, vanilla, tar, fudge. Taste has heavy bourbon, booze, vanilla, dark fruits, licorice, tar, tannic notes, dark bitter chocolate.

8.5

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

Bottle sample @ Tilquin English Beerfest 2018. Thanks Rich for opening this bottle. Brune quasi noire, col moka, le tout huileux et doré au verre. Arôme est classique des grands stout impériaux US, le tout chargé de belles effluves de chocolaté, café généreux, pas mal du caractère boisé et vanillé du Bourbon. Palais est complexe, profil malt profond avec rondeur de grains, retrouve plein de saveurs entre café, grillé, chocolaté et douceur de Bourbon. Intense à boire en petite quantité, alcool est présent mais le tout se laisse boire avec facilité.

8

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

Bottle 375ml. @ [ Radikal Whale slaying Tasting ] - Thessaloniki, Greece. [ As Fremont Ancient One - Bourbon Dark Star ].Clear dark brown black colour with a average, frothy, fair lacing, mostly diminishing, off-white to beige head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, roasted, chocolate, bourbon, earthy, alcohol - buzzy - bourbon. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and moderate bitter with a long duration, earthy, bourbon, roasted, chocolate, buzzy. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft, finish feel is light alcoholic. [20170429] 8-4-8-4-16