12 ounce bottle into tulip glass, no bottle dating. Pours slightly hazy deep orange/copper color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and fluffy light khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, cream, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, ginger, toffee, brown bread, and toasted biscuit; with lighter notes of raisin, plum, fig, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/bready malt, honey, spices, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of big caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, cream, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, ginger, toffee, brown bread, and toasted biscuit; with lighter notes of raisin, plum, fig, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Light herbal, grassy, peppery bitterness; and cinnamon/clove spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, cream, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, ginger, toffee, brown bread, toasted biscuit, dark fruit, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malt, honey, spices, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; with a great malt/bitter/spiciness balance, and no cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitter/spiciness. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/silky/bready, and fairly sticky mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 7.8%. Overall this is an excellent winter warmer. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malt, honey, spices, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the mellowly bitter/spicy/drying finish. Mostly like a bit heavier bodied GLBC Xmas ale, but with vanilla added. Awesome balance of all flavors, with nothing overwhelming. A very enjoyable offering, and spot on style example. I tried this on tap many years ago, and remember really liking it; so the official rating lives up to the memory.