“Aged through four seasons and from a blend of the top Bourbons around, this Ten Fidy has morphed into a monster of cranked up flavour. Espresso, burnt sugar, rich chocolate, caramel notes are now driving alongside the vanilla, oak, bourbon from the barrel and been smoothed out during maturation. Even at 12.9% (75 IBUs) it is cool and drinkable, letting each sip add more and more complexity.”
Served in a beer tulip. This bad boy pours blacker than the ace of spades with a healthy two finger head forming on top. The reduction is swift but a fine lace trail is left clinging to the walls of the glass.
The aroma is dead set pungent! The olfactory’s cop wave after wave of incredibly rich and super sweet toasted malts, charcoal, bourbon, tobacco, chocolate mud cake, espresso and molasses. Definitely getting a dark fruit sweetness as well, like when you open up a packet of dates. Maybe a hint of spice around the edges too. Wow!
It’s dense, aggressive and kind of creamy in texture. As expected the 12.9% ABV provides a sharp, piercing warmth. Mild-moderate Co2. Full body.
The flavour follows on from the nose with an amazingly rich and complex fusion of dark malt, licorice, chocolate, espresso and oaky bourbon. Just the slightest hint of vanilla cuts through to provide that crucial balance. Oodles of warming alcohol throughout, eventually laying down for a decadent finish to boast notes of chocolate, woody oak and toasty malt on the rear.
Brilliant. It lives up to the hype. The standard ten fidy by itself is already a top shelf drop but the barrel aging completely changes the make up of the beer. The sheer complexity and decadence that the aging in bourbon barrels provides is second to none. Superb.