UPDATED: JAN 7, 2024 2013 Vintage : Stunning red colour , but no head , rather soupy looking ... treacle/golden syrup aroma .... sweet taste , cloyingly syrupy brew , overpowering to me .

UPDATED: OCT 8, 2023 Butelka. Mętne o ciemnym, mahoniowym kolorze i białej, małej pianie. Dominuje słód, nuty beczkowego drewna, susz owocowy z naciskiem na figi i rodzynki. W tle śliwki i czerwone jagody, jarzebina, ciemny cukier, trochę chlebowych posmaków. Wysycenie małe, słodycz w górnych rejonach.

UPDATED: JAN 2, 2023 Vintage 2013. 500ml bottle with box. No fajne ale te 10 lat specjalnie nic nie wniosly. .mozna by je przechowywac jeszcze dluzej jak sugeruje info na kartoniku. Ale 10 lat to i tak sporo. Wyglad to srednia piana, wyglad ladny czerwona mglista intensywna barwa, nie brazowa, ale taka czerwona, jasna. Pachnie truskawkami, poziomka i miodem kwiatowym. W smaku barley wine ale jakies malo intensywne, delikatniejsze niz inne, co nie zmienia faktu ze jest dobre, po prostu czasami inne takie tez fajnie skonsumowac zwlaszcza do deski serow, na ktorej znalazly sie:Pecorino Chilli, Ricotta Salata-Lamercantile i francuski Chabert

UPDATED: JAN 1, 2023 Bottle. 2013 vintage. Shared at a neighbour's Hogmanay party 2022/23. Pours clear reddish amber with a thin beige head. Aromas of sherry and nuts, Christmas spice. Taste is light sweet, nutty and fruitcake also. Really nice. Might haved been helped by being under jeevan's floorboards for the last 8 years. Who knows?

UPDATED: JAN 4, 2022 500ml bottle brewed in England at 7.5%. 2014 Vintage. Muddy opaque dark toffee, with flashes of red when held up to the light. An ample, decent-duration beige head. Faintly boozy mocha aroma, delicate floral caramel, airy plum and raisin, vinous redcurrant and a touch of Demerara sugar. Very nice. Low carbonation, thick yet buoyant contiguous velvet texture, surprisingly refreshing. Light airy dark red fruit sweetness, plum, redcurrant, cherry, black grape, then a robust toffee malt with roasted, almost smoky chocolate and vanilla notes staying on just the right side of tobacco flavour, and some very delicate herbal hops in the close. Some very delicate almondesque nuttiness in the aftertaste. Very light and refreshing (if mainly sweet) mini-barley wine; the wine barrel character both works well here and is judiciously not overdone, seguing nicely with the classic notes of an aged dark ale. Very creditable.

500ml bottle [2013 vintage, courtesy of Grumbo, thanks a lot!]. Brown-ish, ruby colour with thin, bubbly, off-white layer. Sweet-ish fruity and malty, minimally vinous aroma, notes of plum and cherry, a touch of dark berries. Taste is sweet-ish malty, notes of almond, fruity hints of plum and cherry, dark berries; minimally chocolately finish. A tad too sweet.

Bottle from Grumbo cons 2018-03-01 Göteborg, vintage 2013 AR: British fruit cake, prunes, brown sugar AP: reddish dark amber, no head F: British fruit cake, prunes, wee raisins, brown sugar, sweet mouthfeeling

UPDATED: DEC 31, 2017 Bottle. Hazy amber orange color With small creamy White mostly lastning head. Malty aroma. Sweet flavor. Oily palate.

Batemans Vintage Ale The chestnut red brown brew glugged gently into the goblet giving a gaunt white head that was rapidly gone. Nose is a dense dark fruit delight with additional redolent fragrances of brown sugar and vanilla. Moderate mouthfeel is soft and warming, however, the carbonation is indolent but this doesn't detract from the soothing presence. Rich dark fruits particularly raisins give a Port undertone and light spices giving murmurs of Martini. These have a warming effect on the palate and meld together with the vanilla and brown sugar give a cheering rich, round and robust character. Christmas pudding in a glass all those glorious family festive feelings brewed into a beer. Although probably to sweet for most people it's a new favourite for and I am going back to the Brewery tomorrow to get some more for Christmas.

UPDATED: FEB 1, 2020 Restrained aroma in a copper brown pour. A complex flavour profile that is enhanced by its subtlety. Proof positive that ’mistakes’ can turn out for the best.