8

Appearance - 9 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Picked up two years ago on the Switzerland trip. Black with a creamy, beige head. Aroma promises raisins and lots of spice, with cardamom dominant. Taste is mildly sweet, and fruity too—again raisins—with a long, faintly oak-bitter, spice-filled finish. Faint soy sauce underneath it all. Medium bodied, mild carbonation, very easy-going and surprisingly delicate. No sign of the alcohol until the very end, where there’s a faint warmth. Good stuff.