Very dark brown. Chocolatey, citric aroma. Sweet and sour flavour is fruity, chocolatey, and complex. Sorry if I didn’t pick up the moist Cavendish tobacco...my bad...but it’s a nice rendition of old school porter, a style I almost always enjoy.

2005 bottle shared at the 4/17/2005 Montreal tasting. Pours a dark black color, with mahogany brown tinges on the edges of the glass. Tremendously filtered and clear as I’ve come to expect from Lees. Light tan head is initially large, but recedes, slowly, to a small covering. Aroma of lipsmacking caramel and toffee, light fudge notes, honeycream, low-bitterness roast, musty, old yeast and some dryish milk chocolate notes. Flavor begins with coffee and salty woodsmoke. Chewy chocolate, vanilla-buttercream and a touch of anise. Finishes with a moderate amount of roastiness, quite a bit of sweet malt and not as much yeast as the nose would have it. Body is medium at best, though for a traditional English porter, (which it isn’t) this would be ok. For what it is, I do think it’s too light of body for all of the wonderful promises it makes on the label, not to mention the 7+ abv. Mouthfeel is quite loose, though a bit of chewy malt can be found. I do like that smoke flavor though. . .

Deep red ruby brown ale with no head. Sweet caramle butterscotch with vanilla notes, woody chips, and dry mouthfeel. Still a rather light and watery bodied ale. Bought at Waitrose, Gloucester Road, London.

Sampled from bottle, vintage not mentioned. Definite apple and mead smell hits the nose. This is a younger brew, full of sweet and toasty malts. Hops do come out to assert themselves after a few seconds, then the apple comes back again. Chewy and syrupy, a big brandy character, too.

Cask conditioned at the Alexandra Hotel ("The Alex"), Derby. Pale golden colour, low to none head. Light bodied, thin mouthfeel. Some hops in the aroma and flavour, but not remarkable. This is an ale for the girls!

2003 bottling. I poured this straight in to the glass and was rewarded with a large rocky head of off-white. The body of the beer was sparkling light amber with tints of orange and pink as well. Nutty warm aroma. The flavor was sweet and heavy with a long finish. Bordered on syrupy but was exceptionally creamy and smooth. Whiskey was not popping out at me so maybe this has mellowed some. Nice but will have to be a special treat as it’s price is probably not worth it.

1999. Pours is a deep red with no head. Aroma is nice and rich. I get some prunes,plums,molasses,raisins,toffee and to top it off a bit of smokyness for good measure. Flavor is strong and thick. Lots of the same aromas match the flavor. Alcohol in the ends burns on the lips but is not harsh and the rest goes down smooth. Lots of complex things going on here.

This one poured a nice muddy brown with a small head afloat. The aroma was subdued malts but well below expectations for a Barleywine. The flavor was similar to the aroma. Just overall lacking in intensity and fullness. Disappointing, as the Harvest Ale is so well done.

An amber beer with a disappearing beige head. The aroma has notes of oranges, apples as well as alcohol. The flavor is deliciously fruity with notes of wood, lots of alcohol and hints of apples and prunes. The cask has lent a little wood to the beer.

A dark orange beer with a disappearing beige head. The aroma is slightly smoked and with notes of whiskey. The flavor is sweet with notes of whiskey and peach and with hints of smoke. The end is slightly woody and the alcohol burns the tongue slightly.