UPDATED: AUG 23, 2023 Bottle thanks to cgarvieuk. We reckoned this one was probably about 15 years old. Appearance - clear amber with very low carbonation. Nose - floral honey and dried orange. Taste - honey, peach and dried orange. Palate - medium bodied, sweet middle and elegant sweet finish. Overall - lovely, in fact, a drink of singular personality.

UPDATED: NOV 20, 2022 Thx to Beerviking for this bottle. Dried fruits, vinous, raisins over a nice toasted malty base. Warming, rich, a little boozy. Nice!

UPDATED: OCT 3, 2022 330ml bottle - Pours an unclear coppery brown colour with a small thin bubbly beige head. The aroma is malty, caramel, sweet dried fruit and light chocolate notes. A sweet malty taste, warming alcohol, sweet malts, caramel, citrus peel and dark fruit flavours with a warming bittersweet finish.

UPDATED: APR 11, 2022 Bronze and pored with a small head .Powerful presence of alcohol from the start. Full bodied malty flavours dominate. Not as complex as the label indicates it to be but still quite drinkable and interesting. My first from this brewery for some years.

UPDATED: NOV 14, 2020 Bottle. Pours a dark brown colour with a thin white head, the aroma is malty with hints of berries, the taste is medium bitterness and with a dry bitter finish.

UPDATED: FEB 3, 2020 Bottle from the brewery. Ruby pour with little head. Forest fruits, caramel, smooth palate, some raisins, alcohol. Decent.

UPDATED: JAN 6, 2020 Cask at The Moon Under Water (JDW), Watford on 16/05/2006. So, I had this a few times and once got gifted a PET from the brewery, because no one else wanted to take home a 9% Barley wine. It didn’t taste too strong, and was actually pretty measured, if a little syrupy. However, I always got this massive aroma of raspberries from it, that no one else could seem to smell.

UPDATED: OCT 15, 2019 Bottle at dockside tap. Pours ruby, nose caramel, berries, raisin, taste is similar, rich, chewy, sweet. 8/4/8/3/15

UPDATED: OCT 29, 2018 Bottle at home this is the 2014 version which I've just got round to opening. Also bought this the breweries shop. Pours brown with no head. Is malty with a bit of a kick at the back. Isn't bad this from someone who doesn't drink barley wines

Bottle from the brewery shop. Fruity raisens and spice aroma. Opaque treacle brown. Beige head soon fades to a few whisps. Light bitter with a sour streak. Raisens and spices come through at first but it quickly develops a boozy quinine streak. Medium bodied. Slick. Average carbonation. Long astringent finish. To be frank, it's not really ticking boxes for me. The bitter boozy steak just overpower everything. Disappoint for what is supposed to be one of the brewery"s better beers.