Pours brown in color with some light getting through around the edges. Seems a bit thin on the pour. Decent half inch of head forming. Smell is subtle but nice amount of oak and bourbon. Initially the taste is incredibly balanced bourbon with a decent stout to carry it. But the flavor on the finish is ruining the entire experience. There’s a strong wet wood/paper flavor at the end that completely detracts from the beer. Up until that point, it was decent, but you can’t get past that finish and almost makes it undrinkable.

2008 bottle. Pours a clearish brown to black with a big ass white head, light, crazy. The nose is creamy with some coffee and some roast. A bit of some acidity. There’s a general malty sweetness and nothing too aggressive. Not the fullest mouthfeel for the style or even a sweet stout. Average CO2. Very acidic and astringent, strikingly! Not too sweet. Some strong tannic aspects, maybe the oak? Roast. No real sign of chocolate or coffee from the nose. No sign of bourbon really either. A lingering acrid bitterness. This seems not quite right for the style. Kind of unpleasant.

2008 bomber. Nice dark roast nose, a little milk chocolate in the back, but for the most part more burnt ash than smooth (a good thing). Woody but not particularly bourbonous. Dark brown pour edging to pitch with a huge Duvelish head differing only in color (tan). Watery body with some chintzy forced carbonation that really detracts. Roasty notes are covered over by the minerally yeast and there’s not much more left than oxidized homebrew. A disappointment – and I have a feeling I won’t get a chance to try this on tap.

Bottle in trade as a bonus from two dudes. Thanks man!! Pours a dark brown reddish pour with a beige head. Smell is very bourbony and smooth fruitiness. Taste is mostly dark fruit and bourbon and much more barley wine like than Imperial Stout or even a regular stout. Not much if any roastiness, but the flavor isn’t bad. Medium to thin body for the style. Decent, overall.

Pours near black with a small tan head. Aroma is roasted malts and what also smells like lactose. Taste is roasty and slightly sour, I remember having this before and it being much better. I think this bottle is bad.