Can from Dranken Vandewoude and drunk at home Dark brown cola colour lasting tan head. Chocolate and bourbon and vanilla aroma. Smooth in the mouth. Decent. No heat. Good level of malts. Good level of barrel ageing. Decent.

Imperial stout aged in whisky barrels created by Stroom here in Ghent earlier this year; can from the Delhaize supermarket at the Sterre. Thick and frothy, crackling, pale brownish-beige, somewhat rocky and sturdy, uneven-bubbled, irregular but stable head on an initially clear, very dark chocolate brown beer, in practice as good as black but with mahogany glow at the edges. Aroma of butterscotch, 'Haagse hopjes', liquorice, 'Koetjesreep', toffee, indeed whisky piercing through, nougat, oak furniture (but not very strong on the vanillin this time), brown sugar, fig syrup, candied dates, molasses, brown wok sauce, fresh bayleaf, vague notes of peppermint candy, clove and chewing gum. Dense, sweet onset, candied dates, fig compote, pear syrup and a slight sourish edge (ripe blackberry), medium carbonated in a 'fat', oily, almost somewhat syrupy body; layers of toffee, caramel candy, nougat, milk and eventually dark chocolate unfold, moving from sweet to more toasty bitter, but never becoming roasted and coffeeish (alas, I am inclined to add). Strong tannic woodiness in the end along with a strong whisky factor, both in retronasal aroma and in flavour, but also in peppery alcohol; tea-like herbal hops provide underlying bitterness more than the malts, while these clove-, fresh bayleaf- and liquorice-like aspects join in playfully. The whisky unfortunately also brings a strong solventy effect, as in fresh paint or even nail polish, which may be shaved off a bit by letting the cans rest in a cellar for half a year more. Needs some more finetuning, but the basic structure is okay - just a bit too solventy, sweet and boozy for me. I think adding more roasted bitterness and less whisky would bring significant improvement.

Can from Hopduvel. Hazy black, thin, foamy, beige head. Aroma of dried fig, date, vanilla, praliné, fondant, sweet whisky, soy sauce, liquorice, almond, wood, varnish. Taste has sweetish fig & raisin in a dark-chocolatey malt body, complemented by herbal liquorice and umami soy. Herbal hoppy finish, touch of vanilla & wood, slightly roasted too but dominated by warming sweet whisky alcohol. Full body, oily texture, soft carbonation. Tasty, with a firm BA profile.

33cl can, BB 29/11/2025, merci Tim!
Brune foncée quais noire, col fin blanc-cassé.
Arôme est malté, chocolat pâle, chocolaté, barrique en retrait, léger côté un ‘nail polish’ mais sans être dérangeant – apport du houblon Magnum assez subtile et sur une petite note florale et herbacée.
Palais est malté pâle, grillé petite note belge dans l’effet de stout impérial. Fruits noirs et rouges – baies, kveik en levure pour le côté plus neutre. Apport de barrique de whisky confère une belle balance qui se prête bien au côté chocolaté et biscuité avec un retour de figue et datte. Pointe d’alcool réchauffant en fin de bouche. Le caractère faible en effervescence vient accentuer la sensation d’épaisseur en bouche.

12/II/25 - 33cl can @ De Trollekelder (Gent), BB: 29/XI/25 (2025-132)

Clear dark brown beer, creamy beige head, unstable, non adhesive. Aroma: nice, lots of caramel, a bit oxidized, malty, a bit nutty, earthy, gentle roast, some hazelnuts. MF: ok carbon, medium to full body. Taste: lots of alcohol, gentle roast, lots of whisky, a bit sweet, some caramel, bitter, hoppy, more alcohol. Aftertaste: gentle roast, hoppy bitterness, pretty dry, lots of whisky, alcohol, malty, a bit sugary, nice one, but could do with some ageing I recon.