UPDATED: NOV 29, 2023 $ 12 bottle from Ballantynes , last of 2 bought several years ago , 11.2 % alcohol : 2015 vintage : hazy , copper red , small head ... mild aroma , spicey raisins ... lusciously sweet , understated palate , molasses ... gotta sip this slowly .

Darkish mahogany amber with all but nil head. Rich fruits dominate the aroma: dates, dried cherries, leather, plums, vanilla, coconut and spices. Complex aromas in this ale. The body is medium but carries dessert sweetness and is gratifying. It reflects those aromas in its flavour and cries out for strong accompanying flavours such as gingerbread and blue cheese or port and cigars. An indulgence and extremely rewarding.
Earlier Rating: 7/1/2008 Total Score: 4.3
I could die quite happily with only having this beer on a desert island with me and a box of cigars. Luscious dark cherry and vanilla flavours that linger on the palate. This beer doesn’t need to be the best looking beer on the rank with fluffy heads and copper tones. It is a deep red and its scent makes it well worth further exploration. Interesting raisin flavours to ruminate on. I found that as I was drinking it, I became more amenable to the surrounding human race. Something to do with the barley wine alcohol content of over 10% probably. I like to blame the aenima of the beer itself. Lovely.

Pours dark copper-brown with a thin head. Delicious cherry aroma. Taste is sweet, with warm alcohol. Flavour starts with dried fruit and progresses to a dry hopped finish. Very interesting and I'm glad to have tried it, but 330ml is just too much considering how rich it is. Needs to be shared.

Bottled. New Zealand holiday 2011-12. Old notes. As Red Zone Enigma. The aroma has caramel, raisin malts with some citrus. Clear, (as it seems, it was dark) red-brown coloured beer with an off-white head. The taste sweetish with some lingering hop bitterness, it has caramel, raisin, bubblegum. Nice.

OMG WTF and some of that other stuff, This is all up-front and in your face with nothing to carry. I’m really really miffed because I wanted this to be rich, sweet, layered, and with depth, I got ra-ra-ra bosh and nothing to back it up. I might have got the wrong end of the stick with this but I didn’t like it when it came to taste and enjoyment, but it looked and smelt pretty, somewhat like a baby or a grandma until it moves or talks

2013 vintage: this is an exquisite example of this style. I loved the pinguid mouthfeel and the lovely rolling malt flavours: toffee, caramel etc. The ETOH is well balanced and it is just a joy to drink. Not sure if its as good as the Tribute, but it is certainly close!

Bottle at Te Anau. Pours a clear dark brown with a diminishing beige head. Sweet with a little bitterness. Aromas of caramel and dried dates. HInts of milk chocolate. Full bodied. Soft carbonation. Long, sweet and quite bitter finish.

Red Zone version with the IPA label. Cheers to Tim for this. This was solid, but had a tanginess too it, especially on the back end that took away from the overall experience. Full bodied, toffee and bread very prominent with the odd tangy/british hop bitterness in the finish.

Thanks, TimE. Caramel malts, milk chocolate, toffee, light toasted malt, and some deep fruits. Thick and chewy. Very solid barley wine. More please. (2008 drank Jan 2010)

Cloudy med brown color, big caramel, maraschino cherries, milk chocolate, brandy, the nose is amazing. Ginger, cranberries, milk chocolate, toffee, cherries, brandy, oranges and wood. Great depth, but not enough body. Alcohol is amazingly well hidden. Lingering milk chocolate, ginger and cherry finish.