Bottled at PBF. Purple with small pink head. Mild funk and lots of earthy, balsamic cherries. Tart with medium body and clean, rounded mouthfeel. Prickly carbonation. Balsamic Schaarbeekse cherries dominate, only slight horse blanket. Mild stale hop bitterness. Not very complex.

PBF XV. Hazy ruby colour with a small off-white head. Aroma is cherries, some tartness, funk and mild acidity. Flavour is quite similar to the aroma. Nicely complex though.

Vintage 2023. Deep red colour, small pinky head. Tart cherries, some funkyness in the nose. Light-bodied. Funky, tart cherries, dry, barnyard finish. Lingering tartness in the aftertaste. PBF XV.

As my final VAT of the boxset, and given the fact no more VAT's are made, perhaps my final ever 'new' tick in this series, there is this 122.
Like the other 3 of this box, I'm tasting without description, only reading it after trying and thinking, whilst typing this review. So far, 16 to my was a bit unspecific, not 'worthy' of a price this high (compared to the regular Boon), 59 was pretty solid and unique, but not exactly my personal preference. 93 was really, really good. So, hopes are that the last unrated ever (to me) VAT will be another highlight - end with a bang, I hope!

Pours a fairly amber, slightly hazed blonde. Small but stable white head. Scent is very mature / old oak impression, on typical Boon profile, but the more mature version. Very inviting, but not overly specific perhaps. Taste is significantly focussed on brett. Seems like it'll be very sour, but it ends very mellow, actually. At first, all the old oak, brett, aged boon character rises up. Than it turns more mineral focussed. Aftertaste is very short though. I'm kindof missing out on the uniqueness here, again. Sure, a bit older oak (I think), perhaps also older lambic, but nothing majorly different, appart from the brett-heavyness. I would have hoped for more typicallity , specificness, and surely a longer aftertaste / more bombastic experience. Much like the 16, this is pretty forgeteable, in a price range (compared to others by the brewery) that would make you expect more.

according to the pamphlet, these barrels are amongst the latest additions to the brewery, EX wine barrels (which I didn't pick up on, at all) that have been filled 3 times now, giving the typicallity of Boon for the first time.
I get that this is a cool extra, but it feels, tastes, and reads more as if they 'needed' a new VAT, rather than a true gem presenting itself, demanding to become a monoblend (oh, good old days of Vat 77, I'm so happy I got some of these bottles left). Whilst remaining a fan (and very big respect for them!) of the brewery, I can see why they ended the series. Hopefully, we'll one day get a new VAT, when there's actually a lambic worthy of becoming a VAT. In this box, the 93 is the only one I'm very happy with - because it's a standout geuze, not even for the barrel influence specifically, but ofcourse that's a part. The 16 and 122 really feel like fillers. Not at all bad beers, none of them are !