UPDATED: FEB 19, 2019 23-Oct-16 (12-oz bottle: Obtained in trade with jjpm74, thanks John!)
This Barley Wine pours a hazy, dark-amber body and a thin, off-white head that fully dissipates. Savory aromas of shitake mushroom, soy sauce, prune and fig, caramel, toffee, fallen logs, and toasted bread reflect the beer's age, but are pleasant and enticing. On the palate, it shows more of a peaty malt character and an unusual sesame oil flavor to tag along with the fig, caramel, brown sugar, and toffee. The beer is sweet, but not sugary at all and the savory side really helps to provide a non-sweet balance. It's full bodied but not heavy, medium-low in carbonation due to the age, and super smooth. Overall, yeah, it's an old bottle of a now-retired beer, but it's gained some complex notes, so I really enjoyed this one.

Bottled. A murky brown beer with a thin lazing tan head. The aroma has notes of malt, alcohol, and over ripe fruits. The flavor is sweet with notes of malt, caramel, alcohol, and over ripe fruits.

Cloudy amber pour. Nose is floral grass and earthy hops. Medium bodied sweetness. Malty finish. Rated 11/10/04

Bottle from Cletus - thanks for the rarity! Pours reddish copper with a few bubbles for head. Aromas of sweet roast malt and grassy? hop. Medium body with hardly any carbonation. Flavor is a bit chalky. Sweet malt. This is on its way to something like Gales Prize Old Ale. Finishes sweet with a balancing bitterness. Mouthsmacking.

Bottle 35,5 cl. Courtesy of Cletus. Pours a very cloudy and opaque amber golden with a small and rough off-white head. Very oxidized aroma with a whiff of caramel. Medium body with overripe fruit and caramel, heavy oxidization and low in carbonation. Subdued bitterness. More British in style - but past its prime. 270509

Muddy orange with nearly no head. Sweet aroma with bourbon, sweet malt, caramel and vinious notes. Flavour had toasted malt, caramela and overripe fruits. Finished sweet with warming alcohol.

12 fl oz bottle, courtesy of Papsoe. Pours hazy orange to brown with a small off-white head. Oxidised and wineous dark barley aroma. Ligt acidic, oxidised, roasted caramel malt and light spiced base flavour. Rosted, fruity and slight acidic flavoured finish.

Bottle: Poured a deep cloudy brown color ale with a small bubbly head with minimal retention and no lacing. Aroma of sweet malt with some cardboard. Taste is a mix of sweet malt with some cardboard notes. Definitely not a recent bottle with some distinct oxidation but still enjoyable. Full body with limited filtration and no alcohol was apparent. Missing some dry fruits notes but still enjoyable.

12-oz. Thanks, Riverside! Murky ruddied medium amber. Mild caramel highlights. Headless, laceless, legless. Big tart fruit nose with a bit of sulphur. Creamy medium body with lots of citric tang. Sharp berry and rhubarb there as well.

Thanks IBrew2or3 for the share. Pours hazy orange brown with nose of chocolate, caramel, malt, raisin, candy sugar, booze (reminiscent of DFH Olde School), and some ripe fruit. Flavor is caramel, overripe fruit, grapes, malt, booze, and some honey. Lots of depth, complexity, and interest in this beer.