2006 bottle 76 of 100. Very still appearance with a gorgeous burnished bronze colour. Aroma of honeyed fruit, dried plums/prune, cherry, and peach. Light pepper but not alcoholic smelling. Sweet malty aroma, very vineous with notes of orange peel, dried white grapes and icewine. Light noble hop spiciness comes through as well. Port like. Marzipan, pistachio, and baked Middle Eastern desserts. Easily one of the most gorgeous smelling beers I’ve ever had... that alone is worth the price of admission. It’s hard to believe that the flavour can match it, but it does. Unctuous, silky mouthfeel. Warming, but not overly hot. Honey and dried fruit, baked pastry, sweet nuts. Long and luxurious finish. After my first visit to Southampton, I was unimpressed, but a beer like this makes the memory of that visit disappear. The sexiest beer I’ve even tasted. Unbelievably good.

2004 Vintage, bottle #10/100 big thanks to Eyedrinkale for sharing this. Good lord, the picture to the left is worth 1,000 words. Just the most spectacular glowing ruby-auburn with magenta and amber highlights. Small, off-white/beige colored head is not extremely well-retained, but then, this is an 18% abv beer, so I’m just impressed it pours a head at all. Sediment is left on the bottom, and the beer is well unfiltered. Aroma of dry tofee, walnut paste, sherry of course, sticky caramel, buttercream, plum brandy and rich barley. Light hints of alcohol grace the nose, but it’s more a refined liquor sort of thing, not a raw ethanol. Taking a sip, or should I say, sinking my teeth in to it, I am greeted with the most succulent of malts. Thick, rich, caramel and toffee as far as the eye can see, with light raisins, vinous sherry notes and plenty of honey. Finishes with a dry, musty yeast, like peanut or walnut skins. Thick, chewy body is of course sweet, but not overly so. There’s something so divine and well-done about the malt flavor that it makes drinking this a real treat. Very low carbonation with a strong drying and yet warming sensation on the end. Such a little, unpretentious bottle and such a magnificent king among beers. . .I can’t even imagine how good this will be a number of years from now.

Eyedrinkale is amazing. My two favorite beers tasted at the post-Dark Lord release were both Southhampton (this and the Imperial Stout.. Grand Cru was pretty good too). First of all, this makes me think liquor more than beer. Unlike 120 min and WWS, the only other two beers of this ABV I’ve tried, this one barely resembles any particular style I’ve had. Glowing ruby with a little forced head from my straight pour. Strong aroma of honey, caramel, and toffee. Flavors of nuts and honey on a strong alcohol backbone. Facto’s right on comparing this to a sherry. Definitely an experience to try.

Courtesy of Footbalm, DL ’06. Can’t thank you enough Eric. Bottle #72. Brilliant copper, wispy film for head. Huge toffee syrup aroma. Very fruity through the middle. Tart grape, pear, and apple. aroma doesn’t sound like much but, absolutely one of the best aroma’s I’ve some acrossed. Flavor again, huge caramel and toffee. Middle has plenty of fruit through and through. Tiniest hint of oxidation towards the finish. Oily-smooth mouthfeel. A brew that makes me long to be a writer, as my review does no justice.

Courtesy boboski. 2002. Ugly multi brown. Carbonation bubbles resting on the bottom, must be some heavy brew. Looks nasty in a good way. Nose of rich caramel, heavy dough, dried fruit (plum), tobacco that grows more prominent as it warms, and subtle heat. Flavors of chocolate cookie dough, candy corn, rich caramel, earth, tobacco, subtle clove, dried fruit, underlying alcohol in second half and finish provides a spice like character. Chocolate milk aftertaste. Full, smooth, viscous palate. The measuring stick for all Eisbocks.