UPDATED: JAN 22, 2020 Pours an opaque brownish black from the bottle with thin ring of bubbly tan foam that leaves little to no lace, but viscously slips down the glass. Aroma of huge sweet maple and molasses notes with bourbon barrel vanilla and coconut underneath, a big dark and sweet chocolate base, and a kiss of spice underneath. Taste is more of the barrel and maple, hugely sweet, which actually helps hide the booze this time around, and nice molasses and chocolate notes throughout, all covering the nuts and spice on the palate. Thick and viscous, with a lingering sweetness on the back of the tongue.

UPDATED: SEP 6, 2019 Black september, Oluf Bagers Gade. Black with a small off-white head. Roasted aroma with complex, dark chocolate, vanilla, coconut, licorice and cookies. Sweet roasted flavour with cookies, coconut and chili heat

UPDATED: APR 27, 2019 22 ounce bottle into snifter, no bottle dating. Pours dense pitch black color with a 1 finger fairly dense and fluffy dark brown brad with great retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, medium roasted coffee, roasted almonds, cinnamon, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, maple syrup, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, biscuit, and dark/brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of molasses, licorice, habanero peppers, smoke, raisin, prune, fig, date, leather, tobacco, herbal, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness. A bit too fruity/yeasty, increasing barrel booze as it warms, but not overwhelming. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malts, coffee, cinnamon, almond, cocoa nibs, vanilla, maple bourbon barrels, and light-moderate habanero pepper notes; with great strength. Taste of huge milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, medium roasted coffee, roasted almonds, cinnamon, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, maple syrup, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, biscuit, and dark/brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of molasses, licorice, habanero peppers, smoke, raisin, prune, fig, date, leather, tobacco, herbal, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Very mild herbal, grassy, roasted bitterness; and bourbon/oak, cinnamon, habanero spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, medium roasted coffee, roasted almonds, cinnamon, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, maple syrup, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, biscuit, dark/brown bread/crust, light molasses/licorice/pepper, smoke, dark fruit, leather, tobacco, herbal, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness on the finish for a while. Amazing complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, coffee, cinnamon, almond, cocoa nibs, vanilla, maple bourbon barrels, and light-moderate habanero pepper flavors; with a great roasted bitter/sweet and bourbon/oak/spicy balance; with no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness, cinnamon/pepper spiciness, and bourbon/oak tannins after the finish. Light-medium carbonation and fairly full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/velvety/bready, and lightly slick/sticky/chalky/tannic mouthfeel that is fantastic. Mild increasing warmth of 10.5%, with minimal lingering barrel booze or pepper heat after the finish. Overall this is an amazing spiced/flavored imperial stout! All around incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, coffee, cinnamon, almond, cocoa nibs, vanilla, maple bourbon barrels, and light-moderate habanero pepper flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the big ABV, with the mildly bitter/spicy/tannic/drying finish. Perfectly balanced between rich malts, flavorings, and maple bourbon barrel presence/integration. Not overwhelming on any aspect. A highly enjoyable offering, and amazing style example. Not as spicy as I expected(likely mellowed out from aging); but still top tier for a flavored stout as expected of both breweries. Probably the original 1.5 year old release.

UPDATED: MAY 16, 2019 Dear lord, where to start...Sweet, aggressively sticky and indulgent, layers of chocolate, caramel, bourbon, almond, cherry, and molasses accented by slight woody oak notes and lingering habenero spiciness and maple syrup. I want to like this beer--I really, really want to, considering both its pedigree and price--but goddamn is it sweet, unrelentingly sweet, viscous and sugary and ultimately too verbose for much more than a flight pour.

22 ounce bottle poured into a teku. The beer is a thick dark brown with a beige head of foam. Sweet and roasty taste. A bit of chocolate cake and some spice. Bigger body and medium carbonation.

Pours opaque coffee with a fair tan head. Aroma presents toasted coconut, bourbon, roast malt, woody and chocolate notes. Flavor provides toasted coconut, chocolate, roast malt, peppery, bourbon-soaked wood. Texture delivers firm, smooth body and lively fizz. Take a break!

Bottle shared by a friend. Pours pitch black with a thin tan head. Nose of malt, bourbon, maple and vanilla. Malt, bourbon and maple flavor with a sweet vanilla finish.

Bottle. Color black with medium head. Aroma roasted, caramel, chocolate, bourbon, coffee, cinnamon. Taste caramel, chocolate, bourbon, cinnamon, alcohol.

Bomber, 2018 vintage. Sweet chocolate cake aroma with notes of maple, bourbon, vanilla, coffee, cinnamon and a little bit of habanero. Pours deep brown, almost black, with a thin light brown head that has little retention or lacing. Starts with sweet chocolate cake flavors of chocolate (of course), vanilla and cinnamon as well as having a rich, full body and silky smooth mouthfeel. Finishes impeccably smooth with some coffee and strong maple, bourbon and oak flavors as well as a slight habanero burn at the very end. Very sweet and malty and very delicious.

Dark brown with tan head, from the overpriced bottle. A good beer, but overly sweet, and lacking the complexity the name implies. Sweet while lacking in maple character, chocolate and barrel sweetness, alcohol, light almonds. I'd get this again for a third of the price.