2006. Clear dark amber body medium foamy tan head. Toffee caramel fruit molasses aroma. Caramel fruity molasses flavor. Full body low carbonation. 7/4/7/4/14 3.6

Late vintage 2007. Bottle from dkachur, thanks, Dan! Reddish brown color. Vinous aroma with grape juice, banana, plastic and rubber. Full bodied. Sweet, malty flavor with rubber, banana, grapes, apricot. A bit like cheap plum brandy. Flowery and citric hopbitterness reveal themselves in the aftertaste. Could be better, although the complexity is there.

2012 Vintage? (13% abv on label): Deep dark brown coloured body with a fast-dying tan and beige head with some violet and ruby tints near the bottom. Aroma of super rich pit fruits, alcohol, oak, vanilla, earth, scotch, gin and a big dose of caramel. Full-bodied; Dense, earthy, pit fruit flavours with a ton of cognac and brandy flavours behind with the warmth from the alcohol showing a lot. Aftertaste shows a big alcohol burn, some oak and pit fruits, a lot of peat and woodsy touches and a pungent deep sweetness at the end. Overall, a super strong barley wine that still shows a lot of rough edges at ~1 year old with perhaps too bitter of a finish. A nice one to try, but not one of my favourite barley wines - too rough and not enough sweetness and complexity throughout. I sampled this twelve ounce bottle purchased from Total Wine in McLean, Virginia on 04-January-2013 for US$3.99 sampled at home in Washington on 22-November-2013.

Draft at the brewpub. Poured a really dark amber/crimson color with a small wispy off-white head. Aroma was notes of caramel, sweet malt notes, some alcohol. Flavor was smooth caramel notes, some light dried fruits. I was really expecting a lot more alcohol burn in this one. It was quite drinkable.

Sweetgolden, cloudy, minimal head, heavy cloying sweetness, medium body, creamy, long finish,

On draft at the Mad Fox Barley Wine Festival, Falls Church VA. Vintage 2011. Pours a cloudy amber with a creamy off white head. Caramel and honey in the nose. Sweet candy sugar, caramel, and raisin flavors. High alcohol level pretty well hidden in the sweetness. An excellent barley wine.

Bottle Vintage 2009 at The Barley Wine Tasting, London - many thanks to Kenny. Pours orange-ruby, lightly hazy, with a fine, off-white cream head. Lots of caramel on the nose, some wet pine. Big sweet flavor with tons of toasty sugar, berries, gingerbread, orange, alcohol, light spicy pine. Full bodied with fine carbonation. Warm ginish with lots of caramel, moderate spices, subtle piney bitterness, toasted sugars. Drinks very well for the ABV and has an interesting spice aspect. Good one.

31st August 2012
THE Barleywine tasting. 15.3% 2009 version. Very hazy red-brown beer, decent bubbly tan head. Light palate, a little dry. Soft and airy. Inevitably a little aniseed alcohol but not too much. Mild toffee and dried fruits. Very mild - barely there - hops. Semi dry finish. Overall pretty light for it’s abv, just a mild warmth.