(Draught at the brewpub, Aug 31 2013) Poured a clear deep amber with a thin off-white head. Aroma has some bourbon up front but it’s fairly soft and restrained rather than in the face, vanilla and oak with a somewhat wine-like fruit character from the malt, light caramel and faint grain, and a relatively restrained bit of grassy hop resin. Flavour is sweet up front, a bit of tree fruit/grape in brown sugar character but fairly soft malt, bourbon is there but mostly restricted to vanilla and a bit of wood, while a nice helping of fresh grassy hops/resin kicks in mid-palate and along with the somewhat prominent booze, dries out the beer with a fairly subtle grain character from the wheat also there on the finish. Body full but silky-smooth, soft carbonation, alcohol heat. Fair amount of complexity, balance between barrel, hops and wheat malts nicely handled, drinkable given the booze. More restrained than a young US barleywine in style, the wheat and the ageing give this more of an aged barelywine feel. Good stuff.

Not at all bad. Pretty well-balanced and grows on me as the beer goes down. Very barrel heavy with apparent bourbon. Pours a deep red with great head and lacing. Aroma of wine, hops booze and caramel malt. Soft carbonation. Tap at barhop.