Last bottle. Last night in Wisconsin. It can't get much better than this. Will probably never have it again.

Now this is more like it! So much more well integrated after a year in the bottle. I can taste the base beer and it's great, and the barrel adds so much. It softens the corners of the aggressive stout underneath without losing the bite. This is what I was expecting, one of the best I've ever tasted.

So, this takes 2 or 3 years of aging to get it where I want it. The bite is gone, the heat is gone, so smooth and rich. Tastes unmistakably like a barleywine, and an American barleywine at that, but so well integrated. One of the few worth the cellar space. Sigh, not quite Straightjacket but half the price.

Life.

This was a little more woody tasting earlier on but now the sweeter stickiness is coming out just like you want from a barleywine.

Eh, baker's chocolate and some maple sweetness. Didn't excite me but smoothed out a bit since May.

Not impressed with this one. Definitely smell the peanuts. Kind of a burnt, coffee taste, not overly sweet or thick. Barely a hint of barrel, which maybe isn't fair considering the price, and the fact it's subsequently blended. Smells better than it tastes.

Two to three years is the sweet spot for this. Velvety smooth, thick as oil, slight sweetness, perfectly balanced bitterness, rich malt depth. The only neg is the low carb, it almost drinks like a liquor.

I'm reticent to pass judgment without tasting the base beer but considering the discrepancy in ABV and Sketchbook's track record, I'm willing to lay the blame for lack of depth/complexity on the low volume barrel aging process. Not to slander Few at all. Without any standard to chase or blending process to chase this is a hit-or-miss prospect. It's simply not great.

The base scotch ale seems a bit one note, dirty caramel. Lots of char from the barrel. Doesn't approach the offerings from Central Waters, or Founders.

Has some really nice caramely notes and the barrel is about as well integrated as you could hope but... this style just isn't a good candidate for barrel aging. Fun, but not a banger.

The 2018 was my favorite, this can really hit the spot, though.

Thick at the bottom of the glass, and more maple syrupy than I remember. I hope the 2020 is more like the 2018, though.

Silky smooth.

Half a can is just right.

A bit too much. Only open this when you're ready and desirous of true decadence. Drips barrel, almost a licorice sweetness, rich. Could do with more bitterness and roast.