Extracted from the writeup from the Rare Beer Club that accompanied the bottle: Vintage 2014 is an exclusive offering, crafted by Grand Teton just for our club members; it’s not seeing distribution anywhere else. The Grand Teton folks went all-out on this: from the 40-year-old Colombian rum barrels, to their careful blending of the base beer (from two of our favorite Grand Teton releases), to the configuration of the final blended spice additions. The base beer is approximately a two-to-one blend of two-year-old XX Bitch Creek Double ESB and fresh Coming Home 2014, the brewery’s Belgian-style quad. Then there are the other two core elements of this beer: rum barrels and spices. First up: rum. Grand Teton managed to source some exceptional rum barrels from Colombia that have been used for aging rums for the last 40 years or so. They were sourced wet, which is to say freshly emptied of rum—preserving their freshness and spirit character—with brief time spent in Mexico for some quick re-cooperage. The base blend spent about four weeks total in these Colombian rum barrels—and was then treated to a full range of spices chosen specifically to pair well with the result. The blend had picked up buttery rum notes along the way, and the extra spicing counterbalanced the central sweetness perfectly: ginger, cloves, cinnamon, allspice berries, vanilla beans, and orange peel. There’s rich caramel, toastiness. Bright oranges. A full-bodied profile suggesting spiced rum. The final result is stunning. The four weeks in the barrel contributed gentle rum components (approximating caramelized and burnt sugar, a molasses-like depth, and soft, integrated spirit character), while the spice additions served as a seamless counterpoint to the barrel time and caramelized base beer. This feels lush on the palate, velvety aside from its lift of carbonation, and comforting notes from vanilla and orange peel rise pleasantly to the top.