“Fat Santa is a rich, decadent example of a whisky barrel (ex-red wine) aged imperial stout. Aged for 6 months, then racked onto whole coffee beans, vanilla beans and tonka beans. Think dark chocolate, whisky, red wine, coffee marzipan and vanilla – all the things that Santa loves. A perfect match with Christmas pudding, custard and cream. Merry Christmas!”
Served in a snifter. Fat Santa pours as black as the midnight sky with a foamy and well retained thumb of brown head taking shape on top. We’re seeing a spotty lace clinging to the glass as it ebbs.
The nose is big, boozy and reveals glimpses of their ‘Ramjet’ stouts. There is layer upon layer of dense, rich and roasty malts, coffee, dark chocolate, cocoa, oak barrels and vanilla essence hitting the olfactory’s. Lovely wafts of licorice, subtle smoke and chocolate mud cake add complexity and further intensifies this hedonistic aroma. Brilliant.
Pow! The flavour profile is rich and in-your-face. Upfront we taste loads of coffee, roasted malts and dark chocolate with subtle earthy/woody oak barrel developing early in the mid. A strong warming booze is injected midway, opening up on to an assertive bitterness which delivers a dry, smoky and uber roasty finish that offers magnificent length in the tail.
The texture is sharp, oily and astringent with a nice little co2 level. Big and warming booze (10.7%) held up with a medium-full body.
Sensational drop. Boatrocker have comfortably taken their position as one of Australia’s best when it comes to experimenting with barrels. Although it’s very similar to their Ramjet series it still provides an absolute wealth of aroma and flavour. Maybe not as refined as the Ramjet but still an excellent offering.