Bottle: Poured a pitch-black color stout with a rather large dark brown foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of dry roasted malt with some black chocolate and roasted coffee notes. Taste is mix between some roasted coffee notes with light bitter notes of black chocolate with some subtle notes of liquorice and light lactose finish. Body is quite full with good carbonation and no apparent alcohol. Very drinkable and well balanced though doesn’t necessarily stand out from the pack with limited complexity.

(500ml 2012 bottle from LCBO) Poured opaque black with a thin tan head and no lace. Aromas of molasses, roasted malts, coffee, nutty vanilla and a little soy, but not particularly overpowering on the nose. Flavour a little more full. Roasted sweet dark malts, light coffee, milk chocolate, vanilla, wood, a tick sour towards the finish. Finish reasonably dry and bitter with wood and roast. Mouthfeel is not smooth but not very full, carb soft, little alcohol even when warm. Decent flavours, balanced but nothing to stand out from the imperial stout crowd.

2012 edition, found at the LCBO. Brown bottle with black wax over cap. Pours a real dark brown colour with no highlights found. Average head, creamy mocha, decent retention and a little lace. Beautiful coffee aromas with notes of roasted malt, molasses and nuts. Full-bodied with a nice silky smooth mouthfeel, and no burning at all. The taste is even mild, but with some roasted malt, coffee, cocoa, burnt wood, and hops showing in the end, giving some hints of apples. Goes down too smoothly... dangerous !! Nice to see one of the better Amsterdam products appear in Ottawa stores. Keep ’em coming !

Smells very good from the outset. Pours black/mahogany with mocha foam. There’s smoke, roast malt and hops in the taste here. Pretty low carbonation. Taste has a little spice but palate is very cloying - leaves sour after five second mark. Very sweet and syrupy, palate is very viscous. Almost a little puckering. Starts off well but doesn’t really end on the same note. A little overrated. 2012 bottle.

This stout poured a deep balck colour with a deep tan coloured head that was very creamy. To the nose there are scents of roasted malts, molassass with a little coffee and cocoa. A hint of the old time Meloids Cough candies too. First sip had a very heavy mouthfeel with strong flavours of smoke and strong coffee,. Finish was as roasty as you can get. Very full bodied Imp stout, not for the faint!

500mL bottle, sent from wilco (thanks Mike), pours black with a medium tan head. Aroma is quite subtle, with licorice, dark fruits, wood, and molasses. Flavour features woody roasted malt upfront, with some dark fruits and subtle licorice notes behind - fruity sweetness and high hoppy bitterness on the finish. Medium-to-full bodied with a medium complexity for an impy. Very enjoyable.