Notes from October 2009 (Mixed scored. Edit at the bottom.) The more recent 15% version, though I believe this bottle had a year or two on it(wax top). Courtesy of the ugly duckling. Thanks dude. :) Bottle was hesitantly passed around right after everyone had flopped over in there seat to digest some tasty, greasy grey matter. Into my heavy duty snifter, after just barely finishing off our opening round. Maybe not the best choice, but it did prove to be easier to down then expected. A faded scotch color, with an expected similar lack of head. A nice swirl to it starting up, but it pretty much layed there. Smell is overall muted, but what does come through is medicinal. Hot alcohol, fruit wood, & flagrant spots of plastic. Taste was worlds better. Warm earthy fruit, brandy, a little leather, & a bigger bit of slightly sharp citric bitterness.Finish was composed of toasty/crusty malt & very mild bittersweet fruit residuals. It never became overly bitter or syrupy. It delivered a very warm sensation without ever getting hot or pushing forward a headache sweetness. We came off pretty impressed by the feel, which was not at all oozy or even more then adequately thick. Even as an English-style barley wine, it did not over impose & put us into a coma. Instead, much fruit & rind came through, all in between soft & succulent. Never really sharp, although it did edge in close with it. Alcohol was evident, but never hostile, which for the ABV, earned more then just a wow. Nothing approaching harsh. A very mellow & almost juicy barley wine, which doesn't quite make sense, but it is what it is. My overall score really should add up to be higher. :) Edit 01/29/11: Just popped an unwaxed vintage, & the alcohol has completely died. Looking a bit thicker & murkier, it surprisingly drank like it was in single digits. Fruit was bigger on the nose then previous & no ugly plastic. Drinkability suffered with less carbonation, but overall, an improvement on what was already an impressive brew. Thanks again Black Swan. :)

12 oz. bottle, sent from St. Fun (thanks a lot, Josh), pours a deep dark amber / mahogany with a small beige head. Strong nose brings out raisins, caramel and sherry upfront, with secondary notes of chocolate, cherry and booze. Flavour is rich and round, very malt-heavy, with loads of caramel, dark fruit (raisins and plum), some sherry-like liqueur, and just the perfect amount of sweetness. Now this is complex - so many layers of flavour, with a big, sticky, rich mouthfeel. The 15% alcohol is exceptionally well-worked in, with no burn or heat, just a warming effect. Barley wines usually fail to impress me much these days, but this is certainly an exceptional. Absolutely wonderful stuff.

Sampled from a 12 oz green bottle this beer poured almost black with a trace very dark brown head that left no lacing. The aroma was chocolate, malted milk, vanilla, sour fruits, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and sweatsocks. The flavor was cola, cherry, vanilla, soy sauce, a short tart spike in the middle followed by lingering coco, cherry, soy sauce and vanilla. Moderately full bodied. Very nice and wonderfully rich and complex.

Bottle - thanks Cletus! Pours a pure amber with a short lived, thin beige head. Nose is rich with caramel, vinous bits, brown sugar, citrus, and some sherry. Drinks smoother than silk. Wonderfuly creamy, yet soft and buttery. Light florals, citrus, caramel, and that’s it. Not complicated, just sip it for an hour and relax. Delightful