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

Barrel aged imperial stout by Kompaan in their - so far - fantastic Foreign Legion series, thanks Craftmember for sharing the can. Pale beige, open ring for a head, almost immediately dissolving over a black beer with clear mahogany edges. Aroma of 'fondant' chocolate, cappuccino, vanilla-scenting oak wood, peanut butter, coconut (the rum speaking), whisky, cashew nuts, dried figs, toffee, clear bourbon, cola, leather, salmiak. Sweet, dense, 'dark' onset, sugared dates and candied figs, hint of blackberry coulis, medium carb with slick, full, oily mouthfeel; layers of deeply toffeeish, dark-chocolatey and pecan-nutty malts ensue, adorned with notes of bayleaf, coconut and black pepper to even a slight touch of liquorice; some spicy hop bitterness and balancing coffee roastedness, but oaky vanilla comes to the foreground much more prominently in the finish, paired with woody tannins, vanilla-like bourbon, smoky whisky and coconutty rum, all working together to create a final warmth which never becomes harshly boozy. Sweet but layered and complex, very modern and at this strength, maintaining a remarkably high drinkability: this is a top notch stout in all respects, and frankly I was not expecting anything less from this wonderful series.