“Ho, ho, ho – let the merriness begin! Fat Santa’s at it again and this year will not disappoint. Rich aromas of marzipan, coffee, vanilla, dark chocolate and roasty malts combine with a distinct whisky character, owing to a good stint in quality barrels. Fat Santa is the perfect way to start or finish Christmas Day.”

Glassware: Snifter.

Appearance: As customary it pours an impenetrable black with a short brown head resting on top. It forms a collar and provides a beautiful cascading lace down the walls of the glass.

Aroma: We were initially critical of Boatrockers’ decision to use Starward whiskey barrels for this years FS release for two reasons. 1) The FS base Stout is literally their Ramjet and Ramjet is aged in Starward barrels so, what’s the difference? 2) We’re not the biggest fans of Starward for BA Stouts. But! We must give credit where it’s due…there are distinct differences between the two which we’ll get into.

Flavour: They’ve done a damn good job creating a contrast between Ramjet and this. Here we’re getting more creaminess, vanilla and marzipan along with the typical coffee, dark chocolate and molasses. More ambiguous notes of macadamia nuts and flambeed blackberry also enter the fray. A hint of Starward barrels does come through but it’s subtle and blends nicely into the rich, roasty finish.

Mouthfeel: Slick and oily with some warmth from the booze (10.4%). Medium-full body. Low Co2.

Overall: At this stage it’s our least favourite FS release. It’s still a decent BA Imperial Stout but previous releases were far better.