UPDATED: FEB 4, 2021 big coffee, and its hung around for 10 years in this bottle? were the actual beans put in? malting carrying the bitterness of the coffee.

UPDATED: FEB 28, 2019 From 500ml bottle, 8 Wired library tasting. Pours black with a tan cap. Earthy, coffee, raspberry, cherry, sour damson, liquorice, toasty, aniseed and deep red fruit. Good body, touch thinner than the 2.18 in the glass next door. Absolutely sensational.

UPDATED: FEB 11, 2019 500ml bottle. Pours a deep black with strong brown head. Mild roasty coffee notes with hints of toffee and dark chocolate. Full bodied with a lovely lingering velvety finish. Strong bitterness with chocolate notes tied in, coffee roast on the background and hidden alcohol depth. Has aged exceptionally well.

650 ml bottle (?)
The version that I tried was labeled as 'Batch 31'. Inside was a solid imperial stout which balanced some additional barrel treatment with respect for the core beer. If you're looking for a New Zealand tick and run across an old bottle then grab it.

Aroma / Appearance - An oily black base produces the expected result for a thick imperial stout. The cocoa head serves up chocolate truffles, coffee, and very rich malts. Sweet espresso binds it together with a carefree ease.

Flavor / Palate - Boozy and rich from the first sip, the profile of this one offers everything you want in a barrel aged imperial stout. The treatment does little to overwhelm the sense of rich chocolate truffles, vanilla, ash, and coffee that complement the hazel core. The strong finish makes its own statement - this is a dessert beer and not a mere starter. Even the warm afterglow leaves you content. I don't know if this is cyclical or due to come out again any time soon but if so it comes recommended for those seeking a new country tick and a solid beer.

5th November 2017
As Batch 31 @ 11%. Opaque dark brown beer, good dark tan head. Palate is airy and fairly dry and has reasonable fine carbonation. Decent dark chocolate laden malts, bitterish, trace of woody bitterness. Mild vanilla and coffee. Some dark fruits, well buried. More rich dark chocolate on the finish. Quite drinkable, if it had been a tad sweeter it would have been great.

Aroma: deep imperial stout with some nice vanilla and coffee App: black, tan head smallish Flavour: rich mix of malt backed with coffee vanilla and deep fruit ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

[8387-20160529] Bottle, 2011. Dark roasted plum dates and toasted burnt woody grains aroma. Black body with a medium-lasting creamy tan head. Richly roasted burnt woody toffee and caramel and Tootsie Roll flavour with a long-lasting roasted aftertaste. Full body is rich and complex and very smooth. Lovely, lovely stout. (9/4-/9/5/17) 4.4
(@ Goldings, Wellington, NZ)

2016-05-29. Black body, small tan head. 3+ Aroma has big dark malt character, sort of tangy fruity barrel character. Flavour is big, lightly tangy, barrel notes, lingering bourbon like character (but there isn’t any bourbon in it...) I assume it’s how my brain interprets the alcohol and the jaggery sugar and dark malt, light roasty malt. 7+ Average plus bodied palate, moderate carbonation. Alcohol is present but remarkably restrained considering the abv. I suspect I would have either liked this a bit more or a lot less when it was younger. 7/3-4/7/3/16-17 Vintage 2011 bottle at Goldings, Wellington, NZ.

Pours like an oil slick... Thick, dark, delicious. Aroma of toffee, mocha, plums, rum, sherry and dates. Flavour is predominantly sweet and sour up front, cloyingly sweet in the middle and bitter at the back. Such a depth and complexity of flavours that keep coming and coming ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Der malzige Beginn überzeugt mit klarem hintergründigem Kaffeearoma. Etwas bitter, spritzig, gleichzeitig holzig und hopfig. Cremig, süffig, mittellanger, fast nebensächlicher Nachhall. Schwer zu trennende Aromen. 9/11/12/12/10/11