Had this at Jimmys on the Lower East Side of Manhatten. 1994 12 oz bottle. Dimmed bar so it is hard to be accurate on the color, dark is best I could do. Poured into small pilsner glass with no head whatsoever. The smell hits your nose hard. Stilll very potent and almost like a new bottle. However, the taste has mellowed. Lots of chocolate and barely like sweetness. Finishes with no bitterness. Even thought this beer was 12 years old I believe it could stand for another 12 years. Definitly not going bad yet. Good luck to anybody who waits 24 years. RERATE: drank again 5/5/06 - same place. A good description of the smell is prune juice and rum. Still a great chocolate character. Have been comparing this to other aged beers (i.e. Hardy’s) recently and these is still so strong with lots more room to grow.

1996 bottle, consumed 3/18/05 at the Tap Room in Detroit. Smells very fruity, notes of sherry are easy to discern, with berries, butterscotch, and slight vinousness. Pours a transluscent ruby-brown color with a rapidly disipating head. Light sediment on the bottom. Notes of plums and chocolate arise as I swirl the glass. Flavor begins with a very thick, but oxidized, caramel maltiness, with residual sugars coating the palate nicely. Sherry characteristics emerge in the middle, as it gets lightly syrupy and quite sweet. Ripe berries and some yeastiness join the mix. Flavor ends on chocolate, plums and prunes with plenty more sugar and a warming effect from the alcohol. Full bodied, for sure, but you can feel its age. Still, for 9 years, this stuff has aged tremendously well. Nothing unexpected in the oxidation/sherry notes. No wateriness or stale flavors. Low carbonation and to be honest, I didn’t think the alcohol was apparent at all.

2024-08-26, vintage 1997, 27 years old, 7-4-8-4-15=38
daniele has

2021-11-26, bottled 1997, 7-4-7-3-15=36
The oxidation is not extreme, but it's evident; some smell of leather, of dark honey, very light vanilla; dusty, some malt, old furniture, and waring alcohol.
Too old, but I can still drink it.

2012-09-12, bottled 1997, 16 years old, 14.2%, 9-4-8-4-17=42
From Bière Revolution, Nancy
Hazy dark amber color, with little to no head. Very nice aroma, almost a Christmas pudding, full of malt, molasses, raisins, and a touch of vanilla. Softly carbonated mouthfeel; the liquorice starts taking over, with some evident but not yet disturbing sign of oxidisation; pleasant hints of toasted nuts; the body is maybe thinning, and there is a medium alcohol perception; the final is indeed thinner and more alcoholic.
It's maybe starting to go down, the alcohol showing too much, but still it's a very interesting beer.

2004-03-24, bottled 1996, 7 years old, 14.0%, 9-4-9-4-18=44
Deep amber color; the head disappears quickly.
Intense aroma of malt, then the caramel and finally a light phenol; then, in waves, the phenol, spices, cookies, liquorice.
Thick, oily, very sweet; a lot of caramel and malt, with nuts, roasted nuts and a delicate fudge; light soy sauce.
Ends with a very strong caramel aftertaste, along with some liquorice and (only now) a warming alcohol feeling; correctly balanced by the necessary bitterness.

Perfectly matured (doesn't show the age), this brew could last forever; despite the many opinions against it, I can really say I love it.