8.6

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

2nd April 2025
Pretty much an opaque dark brown beer, decent bubbly tan head. Smooth soft palate with a mild viscosity, reasonable fine carbonation, fine for the style. Soft smooth rich dark malts, good chocolate and it's as much milk chocolate as dark chocolate thanks to the judicious use of vanilla. Soft coffee sits way underneath. Tonka is here but thankfully not overdone as were some of the other contemporary Impies. Apple Brandy really comes to the fore on the very end but when it does arrive, it's rich. Smooth finish leaves a mild gum numb. Rather an elegant brew all told. Something tells me perhaps all of this series should have been left in the cellar for a couple of years or, maybe it's just the case that this one was the best of them all along.
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7.9

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

500ml bottle. Heavy, intense with some roastiness, cocoa, earthiness, tonka and chocolate sauce notes. Thicc.

8.8

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

17/2/2023. Panda shared by danlo, cheers Ed! Pours black with a minimally bubbly off-white head. Aroma of dark chocolate, dark fruits, coffee, wood, liquorice, molasses, nut, coconut husk, toasted notes. Medium plus sweetness, moderate roasted bitterness. Full bodied, slick, very soft carbonation. Very very good.

8.9

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 8.5

Bottle at home from CW online. Pours jet black with a dirty tan head. Aroma is chocolate, apple, brandy barrel, coffee, tonka, hint of vanilla. Taste is chocolate, fudge brownie, tonka bean, coffee, vanilla, the apple brandy barrel comes through on finish. Lovely soft and smooth on the palate. Cracking!

8.5

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

Panda courtesy of mR_fr0g, cheers Fergus! Black colour, no head and aroma of roast malt, tar, chocolate, dried fruit, vanilla, coconut hint. Taste is sweet malt, roasty, molasses, caramel, dark fruits, ripe apple hints, with some booze, chocolate & coffee notes and earthy spicy bitterness. Smooth mouthfeel, medium to full bodied, low soft carbonation, mellow boozy finish. Well balanced, very drinkable.

8.8

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

Bottle at home picked up from Cloudwater online. A thick oily black coloured pour with a loose dark tan head that fades to a whisp. Aroma is big toasted tonka bean, cinnamon bun. bitter dark chocolate, cakey malts, vanilla. layered. Flavour is composed of medium sweet, layered fruit cake, Christmas pudding, tonka bean, toasted cinnamon, cola cubes. Palate is medium sweet, oily, rounded, fine carbonation. sticky. Lovely stuff.

8.4

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 9.5

Bottle at home Boxing Day, 2022. Pours black and rich. Aroma is chocolate, dark fruits, caramel and barrel, liquor. Taste is smooth as silk, rich dark and milk chocolate, liquor and barrel, light coffee, complex and so well executed, not too sweet. Lovely

8

Thick, rich and sweet, quite boozy. Dark chocolate and cocoa powder, some calvados-esque brandy, caramel malts. Smooth, could use less cocoa and more apple brandy though. Very nice.