Strong cinnamon and dark chocolate.

Seems a bit thin for a KBS. The cinnamon is a bit too strong, and translates into bitterness that lingers on the palate. Not really getting the cocoa either. Lastly, only a subtle hint of barrel.

Overwhelming earl gray tea flavor; not much else. Flavor doesn’t change much as it warms. Good, but in small doses.

Nice dark, chocolatey, cocoa flavors and maybe a hint of cinnamon. More of the cocoa is evident on the back of the palette and lingers. While not thin, it’s not as syrupy and thick as I’d hoped. It’s also not as complex as I’d hoped. Good not great.

Bourbon County Vertical 2023

Bourbon County Vertical 2022

Bourbon County Vertical 2021

Held up very well. Sweet, lots of dark chocolate, booziness, and roasted malt.

8 year vertical

Sadly not as good as 2016, which was not as good as 2015. This has an odd flavor profile and nose. Hoping my other bottles are better.

Not as impressive as I’d hoped. Nose was off putting. Taste was pretty decent. Wouldn’t get again.

Loss of chocolate and a hint of coffee. Has held up quite well.

Gave to Stan Soroka as thank you for bourbon samples (Red Breast and New Riff)

Starting to taste like KBS. I THINK 4 years is the longest without losing too much, but fresh is still best. Not much coffee left. Mostly roasted malt.

Lots of dark chocolate and roasty malt with a hint of sweetness from the maple and booziness from the barrel.

Founders knocked it out of the park with this one. Loads of chocolate, very rich, no bitterness. Only a few sips in, but looking forward to seeing how it changes with some warmth.

So much coffee. Not sure this has changed much in 3 years. The cinnamon just ends up adding a butter finish.

Did a side by side with 2019 Café de Olla and 2020 Special #4. In the end, they’re both fantastic, but the Café de Olla wins. Thankfully, the cassia bark aka cinnamon has calmed down in the Café de Olla.

Coffee in this is tasting really nice. I still hope they go back to a coffee only BA stout, but this is good. The base also shines through with a lot of dark chocolate and malt.

This seems like it has changed a bit since being fresh. Overwhelming amount of rich, dark chocolate and malt with just a hint of the coffee, orange and cinnamon.

Lots of coffee up from that gives way to the acidity of the orange peel and spice of the cassia bark. The finish is dark roasted malt, that leads into dark chocolate and heat. Still prefer 2015/6 coffee over any subsequent release so far.

Very bourbon forward and has a nice sweetness. Very different from any other Black Ops I’ve had.

Decent flavor, a bit tropical, and just slightly too much bitterness.

A bit more bitter than I expected and not at all creamy, as I assumed based on color and haziness. Good, but not something I’d buy again.

Tasted like a wheat beer more than an IPA.

Still tastes great. Starting to detect a hint of age, but not in a bad way.

Still tastes as I remember it. Sad they haven’t made this again.

Holding up really well.

Still so good.

Holding up nicely so far. Still strong whiskey and fig flavors, with malt on the finish.

Really interesting. Bold malty flavor, softened by the brandy and made slightly sharp by the whiskey. Sweetness from the figs and dates.

This has held up amazingly well. Lots of coffee and velvety mouthfeel with a dark chocolate finish that lingers on the palate. I’m glad they started making these again.

Nice malty, roasty, coffee flavor and boozy. Yum