“The Original Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout. Intense aromas of charred oak, vanilla, caramel, smoke.”
Glassware: Tulip.
Appearance: Pitch black with a short brown head forming on top. It reduced to a ring with minimal lace sticking to the glass.
Aroma: Heaven! Absolutely crammed full of bourbon, roasted sweet malt, vanilla, coffee, charred oak, molasses, licorice, dark chocolate, dates and subtle smoky notes. We don’t think there’s anything else one could want from a big bourbon barrel aged imperial stout. It’s as good, if not better than KBS, Old Money and Ramjet. Superb.
Flavour: A mouthful of everything that made the aroma so good – trick loads of bourbon, charred oak, vanilla, cocoa/chocolate, roasted malts, dark fruits and mild smoky notes. The ABV (14.7%) is incredibly well concealed but offers that gentle warmth through the mid. She’s big and roasty in the finish but nicely tempered by a bit of vanilla and sweet toffee malts.
Mouthfeel: Dense and chewy with full body. It offers a subtle carbonation with a very well hidden alcohol warmth.
Overall: Brilliant, no better way of explaining it. It’s up there with the best Imperial stouts we’ve ever had the pleasure of drinking. We can only imagine what a few years aging could do. Very impressive.