“Imperial porter brewed with pecans and walnuts, aged in rum and bourbon barrels with Madagascar vanilla, then finished with cacao nibs and toasted pecans.”
Glassware: Snifter.
Appearance: Black as midnight with a foamy head perched on top. Reduction is slow eventually settling to a ring which decorates the sides of the glass.
Aroma: Wooowwww. Magnificent display of the pecans and walnuts. The vanilla accent is introduced nicely with the somewhat sweet and sugary notes from the time spent in bourbon and rum barrels also coming through beautifully. The 13.2% AbV stings the olfactory’s but that can be excused considering its weight. Really lovely, all the aromas come together to create this overall aromatic sensation!
Flavour: Very well layered. As expected the rum and bourbon barrels present firmly, the warming alcohol is strong and the roasty/charred malts bring up the bottom end. The mid keeps firm, roasty and boozy with the nutty profile adding a subtle yet toasty and earthy quality. The finish is dry, assertive and warm with a hint of vanilla and booze offering good length.
Mouthfeel: Thick, muscly and very warming. Full bodied. The 13.2% AbV is quite intense…would benefit from some aging!
Overall: Although it does need to be laid down for a while there is still a wealth of flavour to be enjoyed now. With time that booze burn will soften and all of those delicious nutty, vanilla and chocolate flavours will open up.