UPDATED: MAY 18, 2024 35.5cl fles. Helder donker robijnrood kleur, fijne romige bruine, stabiel, blijvend en niet klevend. De geur is whisky en karamel. Smaak is zoet, whisky, rozijnen en hout. Medium body en veel koolzuur.

UPDATED: APR 7, 2024 12 ounce bottle in the box from Fresh Market Hendersonville. A dark pour notes of fog dried fruit caramel smooth rich very good

UPDATED: APR 6, 2024 Almost black beer, a head is medium and light brown. Aroma has caramel maltyness, liquorice, barrel, light fruitness, whiskey and strenght of alcohol. Taste has dried fruitness, caramel, light barrel, vanilla and liquorice. Medium+ bodied. There are lots of layers in the flavour. Very good.

UPDATED: APR 1, 2024 Bottle picked up from Beer Republic webshop, Breda Netherlands had this shared with dad, Easter Sunday 31st March 2024 after a six and a quarter hour train journey from Inverness and hour and a quarter from York. Pours almost black with a thin beige head, warming and a little bit of booze, a little bit of prickly carbonation, some dried sticky fruit. *Will finish rating tomorrow as tired now, however this is v.nice.

UPDATED: JAN 15, 2024 Bottle. Dark pour. Aroma of rich ripe fruit, fruity bourbon, caramel, vanilla, malt, chocolate, vineus oak, brandy, figs, raisin, dates, molasses and swert cherry. Taste has chocolate, fruity bourbon, figs, dates, caramel, raisin, vanilla, brandy, warming fruity booze, vineus oak, sweet cherry and a very fruity finish. It's very nice, but somehow it doesn't fully come together, which makes the blend less complex than it could have been. Of course, the standard is high for these beers.

UPDATED: JAN 9, 2024 Boxed bottle that came with brewer's notes. Pours opaque black with a 1-finger beige head. Aroma is mild, but complex. Notes of bourbon and oak mix with traces of fruit and coffee. Full-bodied and lightly oily. The finish is long and has a mild astringency. Complex flavor with notes of barrel char, oak, coffee, bourbon, and fruit (maybe plum?).

UPDATED: JAN 5, 2024 Black color, small beige head. Aromas of roasted malt, chocolate, raisins, bourbon, cream and alcohol. Taste of roasted malt, bourbon, chocolate, raisins, alcohol, coffee and cream.

UPDATED: DEC 31, 2023 The 12 oz bottle of XXVI comes out of the nice little box that FW includes with the purchase. And there is a a nice little detail sheet inside the box giving the blend details. From that I see that includes Parabola along with a number of barley wines and others. Okay, this is all right by me. Time to proceed, there is a snifter ready to receive the pour. A dark brown body with a decent skim of tawny tan foam. I lift the glass and take a good sniff. Dark fruit, some chocolate and grain. Taking a drink now. Geez, this is good, just like all the other anniversary brews I have had before. Dark chocolate, plums/prunes, wheat bread, raisins, hay, a bit of sorghum molasses and pecans. Just the right thickness and again the moderately high ABV is covered up. Would have liked some Stickee Monkee in the mix, but that's me.

UPDATED: DEC 24, 2023 0.355 l bottle from 'Beer Republic', 2022 vintage. Black with a thin, frothy, slowly diminishing, beige head. Intensely sweetish-malty, gently roasty and slightly fruity aroma of bourbon, brandy, dark chocolate, coffee, raisins, roasted hazelnut and prunes. Fairly sweet, malty, gently roasty, quite fruity taste of dark chocolate, coffee, bourbon, brandy, raisins, prunes, roasted hazelnut and vanilla, followed by a long, gently roasty-bitter, slightly boozy and a little woody finish. Medium to full body, smooth and slightly effervescent mouthfeel, soft carbonation. Wonderfully rich and complex, superbly balanced, such a pleasure to drink on Christmas Eve. Outstanding beer.

UPDATED: DEC 18, 2023 Review based on the BJCP2021 guidelines (style 33B: bourbon / 34B). Bottle 35.5 cl - Batch undeclared (BB undeclared). AROMA: medium-high alcoholic notes with a strong vinous (whiskey) component. background of wood, slight dried grapes and vanillin. APPEARANCE: dark amber color and opaque with slight ruby highlights. medium-low light brown head with average retention. leg formation. TASTE: medium-high notes of vinous whiskey notes, followed by a background of low dried grapes, vanillin and toffee-like malt with a slight sweetness. medium bitterness with a dry and slightly toasty finish. MOUTHFEEL: medium-high body with a velvety texture. smooth and gentle alcoholic warmth for the 11% abv. OVERALL: although i would prefer a less 'in your face' vinous aspect that would let the base beers shine, its still a nice blend.