750 ml bottle into snifter; 2018 vintage, bottle #4949. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a small fairly dense khaki head with poor retention, that reduces to a minimal spotty lace cap that lingers. Minimal spotty lacing on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, molasses, brown sugar, toffee, bourbon, toasted oak, roasted nuts, biscuit, and dark/brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of vanilla, coconut, licorice, raisin, prune, cherry, fig, date, smoke, charcoal, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malts, moderate bourbon barrels, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop notes; with big strength. Taste of huge milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, molasses, brown sugar, toffee, bourbon, toasted oak, roasted nuts, biscuit, and dark/brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of vanilla, coconut, licorice, raisin, prune, cherry, fig, date, smoke, charcoal, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Very mild herbal, grass, roast, charred bitterness; and bourbon/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, molasses, brown sugar, toffee, bourbon, toasted oak, roasted nuts, biscuit, dark/brown bread/crust, vanilla, coconut, licorice, dark fruit, smoke, charcoal, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, moderate bourbon barrels, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; with a nice roasted bitter/sweet and bourbon/oak spiciness balance; with no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness and bourbon/oak spiciness. Light-medium carbonation and very full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/velvety/bready, and lightly slick/sticky/chalky/tannic mouthfeel that is fantastic, Minimal warming alcohol for 10%, with no lingering barrel booze after the finish. Overall this is a fantastic barrel aged Russian imperial stout. All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, moderate bourbon barrels, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the big ABV, with the minimally bitter/tannic/drying finish. Fantastic soft feel. Not as much barrel as I expected, but adequate. Fantastic rich malt complexity; solid barrel presence/integration, restrained fruity yeast, and mild earthy hops. Not overly sweet/heavy from lingering dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and impressive spot on style example.