Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 9

Growler (1 day old). Poured essentially black. There was a touch of brown during the pour but in the glass its as black as night with a thin layer of brown foam. Aroma begins surprisingly faint, with a touch of molasses and pruney fruit. On the first sip - whoa, big time smooth. Awesome soft and light mouthfeel without being thin in the least. Towards the finish, a acrid style burnt malt and chocolatey raisins soaked in rum and soy sauce blend into a rich semi-sweet finish. Despite this complexity, the flavors are nearly as faint as the aromas, and its pretty weird! The lingering aftertaste features an acrid bitterness that seems to combine the bitterness of a lingering hop (maybe Chinook but thats just a wild guess) with that of heavily roasted malts. The further in, the beer seems drier, featuring more of the roast and less of the fruity molasses character. I think this combination of complexity and fullness of palate while being subtle, understated and easy-drinking makes this a thoroughly world-class imperial stout!