 BBB63 (3672), La Porte, Indiana, USA
Apr 21, 2008
Bottle # 02672 and served in my NB worthy glass (vertical of 12/18/30): Nearly opaque with a fading but lasting head and some lace and some oily legs upon the glassware. Better head retention than the 12 y.o. or the 30 y.o.
The aroma has many of the same notes of the 12 but seem more concentrated, big charred wood and Black Patent malt, star anise, prune and dried raisin, liquid vanilla extract, massive alcohol vapours, and some lovely smoked peat bog.
The taste while similar to the 12 y.o., it is far more refined and smoother. Expressive dark fruits and charred malt with a kick in the face of wood and whisky. I get more than my fair share of iodine and peat bog towards the finish but it is more for rounded palate than a distraction. The mouth feel is smooth and oily with just the right amount of aggressive alcohol bite and woody dryness. What a work of art, right among the very best BA beer I have ever had. The best thing is that I believe these bottles will aged gracefully for years, so get ya some!
henrikb (1008), Aarhus, Denmark
Jul 8, 2008 Black body and a dark brown head; Good but the aroma could be bigger, all the right and very pleasant aromas but somehow the nose doesn’t know if if really wants to be a whiskey barrel aged beer or not; Super soft very pleasant body, maybe it is the fact that it is very pleasant that is wrong an old ale should not be very pleasant, it should be pleasant and very complex and hard to understand (imo of cause); Warm soft and aroma and texture in finish, again it is to simple good and not aggressive enough. A hard rating of a very good beer, Thanks.
mgumby10 (1480), West Palm Beach, Florida, USA
Jul 5, 2008 Pours pretty jet black, with a small, quickly dispersing, light brown head. The smell is rich with caramel cream, light peat, molasses, gingerbread, dark fruit, and mild chocolate. Really dug that nose. The flavor was a little heavier on the peat and smoke than the nose let on, although not too burning or up front. Left some nice heat in the finish however. The flavor was of burnt malts and dark fruit mixing with mild chocolate bitterness and woodsy oak. Well carbonated, more than I expected. The finish was a little fruity sweet, with the mild chocolate notes becoming apparent a bit. Very nice brew indeed.
LooseCannon (572), Norfolk, Virginia, USA
Jul 4, 2008 11.2oz bottle, Bottle No & date 03749/Sept 2007. Pours pitch black in color with thin brown head. Aroma sweet, dark chocolate and roasted malt. Taste chocolate, Scotch, coffee and bitter sweet with bitter and dry finish.
MartinT (4241), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Jul 3, 2008 My Bottom Line:
Sublime peat smoke rises from the dark chocolate, vanilla and licorice dessert bestowed upon the ecstatic tastebuds in this rich, complex and highly original Old Ale.
Further Personal Perceptions:
-A veil of foam lingers atop the pitch blackness.
-The salty component from the highly peated barrel alters the vanilla and chocolate aspect of the malt sweetness and takes it into sweet soy realms.
-The roastiness also takes the form of charred wood at times.
-There is barely any alcohol showing in this flavor profile.
-The smoky and roasty finish is bitter and enduring, but not too much as to bother the tastebuds.
-The body is corpulent and is easily perceptible due to the relaxed carbonation.
Bottled in September 2007.
heemer77 (3536), North Liberty, Iowa, USA
Jul 1, 2008 No one around here seems to care, so I am drinking a bottle of this one on my own. Black body with a light brown head. Massive peat malt and smoke dominate the aroma. there is also some of that sea smell. at first, I could not detect the beer behind the overwhelming scotch. However, as it warmed, the beers malt was subtle with some light chocolate. The taste is the expected peat with a salty and lightly smoky finish. As it warms, the beer starts to shine a little past the whisky. There are notes of deep prunes and dark chocolate. A thick and oily mouthfeel complements the beer. i wanted to like this one more, but again, the barrel aging is just too much.
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