Cocoa powder. Less bourbon than I remember from the other bottle, wouldn't mind a little more. It also needs another month, at least, to settle in the bottle. But maybe the best vintage that I can remember.

The 2016 took a few months to get this good. This one is ready to go out of the gate. Chocolate bomb on the nose and tongue. Some coffee at the backend, too. More than I remember in other vintages. This is simply great. Reaffirms that I don't _need_ any other barrel stout.

Holds up well but doesn't particularly benefit from ageing. Tastes the same as the 2018, which is to say excellent.

Unknown date of consumption. Forgot to record an entry somewhere.

Different than any previous year I remember. Smells like straight up whiskey, tastes like burnt caramel. It's not unpleasant but doesn't have the malty sweet richness I love. It's fresh, though. Needs some time to settle.

Much better than it was a month ago. Nice and buttery.

Unknown date of consumption. Forgot to record an entry somewhere.

Still fantastic. No drop-off but my preference center's around the three year mark. Barrel-aged is great but not what I want all the time. Perfect with beef stew.

Nearly 3 years old and this is in it's prime.

Yep, this is my definition of Russian Imperial Stout.

Mmm. This is really good. Right up there with my faves. Kind of like what I wish the barrel aged version of Scotty Karate was like. Smoky malts, sweet whiskey. Reminds me of the Cahoots a bit but the base beer comes through a lot more. Has a somewhat similar cola-ish flavor from the whiskey that I have also noticed in the Commander barleywine. Seems to be from the barrels, I wonder what their source is. I didn't notice it in Silhouette.

Hops came out much more with the Teku. My first real success with that glass.

Smells great, tropical fruit. But the caramel malt sweetness, as light as it is, is enough to mess with the flavors to the point where it doesn't taste all that hoppy. It doesn't fit the profile for most IPAs, so it probably has a niche. But I don't drink IPAs for the malt.

Too much going on here. Molasses dominates when it's cold, then I noticed some tart flavors and a bit of sweetness came out as it warmed. I expected a lot more whiskey, though. It's still really good. Complex and interesting, but just too much.

Butterscotch. Smooth and easy drinking as I can imagine for 12.5%. Got a little wet cardboard mustiness as it warmed up, sadly. Probably shouldn't sit on this one for five years. Even at its worst, it was delicious. Really a spectacular beer. I'm sold on English Barleywine.

Neverending chocolate. Better than ba ten fidy. Pours thinner than I expected but didn't seem thin on the mouthfeel. Smooth, especially as it warmed and never reached a point where it was too warm, great all the way. Didn't have much of a bite for a RIS, must have mellowed in the barrel. Noticed some dark fruit aromas from time to time. Nice barrel quality for a relatively short time in the wood.

Boozy, thick hot chocolate. Kind of sweet as it warmed but no complaints. I was pretty full when I had it so that probably had an effect. It's great to be able to try the base beer and the barrel aged version. Top notch stuff.

So much pineapple. Probably pretty bitter, too, but I hardly notice that anymore. Not at all what I expected. Huge pineapple aroma, flavor had a lot of malty depth to it. Wish I had time to savor it some more. Really nice. Doesn't approach Lupine for pineapple, or even NvU as an IIPA.