Peregrinari (49), Washington, Washington DC, USA
May 15, 2008 Bottle Number 04291 (Thanks Argo0!) Vertical of 12 – 16 – 30 years. Aroma for this one is similar to the 12 with notes of molasses, peat (though less than with the 12) coffee (stronger than the 12), chocolate (less than the 12) and dried fruit (far less than the 12), alcohol (more so than the 12), with one that was not really present in the 12 (mild dishsoap) no, I didn’t just wash my hands! The flavor is stronger in some ways from the 12 and milder in others. The vanilla flavor is more intense and the dried fruitiness has mellowed. The molasses is strong as is the coffee though the chocolate is less than the 12. The finish is easier to handle than the 12 as it is less sticky and sweet though I am not implying that it is neither. I like this one better than the 12.
 argo0 (5871), Washington DC, USA
May 15, 2008 (33cl bottle, #04291, Sept07, vertical with the 12 & 30) Black body with small, quickly dissipating tan head. Aroma is medium sweet, vanilla, some caramel, molasses, roast, whisky/peat, faint mint. Taste is moderately sweet, roast, caramel, smoke, plum, molasses. Medium-full body, some stickiness, notably smoother than the 12. Scotch is complementary rather than overpowering.
Walt (2157), Chicago, Illinois, USA
May 15, 2008 Drank as a vertical of 12, 16, and 30: Pour is black with a tiny off white head...smell is roasty and sweet and not nearly as harsh as the 12...molasses and caramel and faintly smoky...somewhat medicinal though...taste is rich and smoky...lots of peat character and this one tastes much more of scotch than the 12...nothing really interesting or over the top about it though....
FlacoAlto (1921), Tucson, Arizona, USA
May 14, 2008 Bottled September 2007; Sampled May 2008
A softly vigorous pour produces a two and a half finger thick, brown stained, tan colored head. The beer is quite black in color and is opaque even when held up directly to the light. The aroma is quite rich with concentrated notes of darkly caramelized malt, touches of teriyaki, iodine and a finish that smells of salt and light peat smoke. Hints of fruit aromatics provide notes of burnt prunes and light raisin. The smokiness really picks up after the first couple draughts of the aroma. Rich malt aromatics combine with the peat character to contribute aromas of salty toffee, savory umami malt, . This just has a hearty, quite satisfying aroma to it. In fact the aroma is just expressively intoxicating and almost exactly what I am looking for in a nightcap; rich, savory, complex and deeply satisfying.
Somehow this beer tastes quite a bit cooler than I was expecting; mainly I think it is not quite as rich as I was expecting, and a thinner beer always feels cooler than a thicker beer at the same temperature. The beer finishes with a deeply roasted, burnt espresso bitterness / astringency. The beer is fairly sweet and accentuates a burnt raisin fruitiness. This has a fairly light heft to it for a beer that smells this rich, though the viscosity is quite appropriate for a beer of this alcoholic strength. The beer finishes with a touch of burnt vegetal character; burnt broccoli and burnt cabbage flavors lightly intrude on the finish. As the beer warms up it picks up a bit more texture and richness in the flavor / mouthfeel, it still does not live up to the promise of the aroma though. The roast character plays a huge role towards the finish; burnt malt, sharp espresso notes, slight charcoal and the aforementioned burnt vegetal note.
The aroma of this beer kicks some serious ass; I could smell this forever and continuously find myself just enjoying the aroma between extended sips of this beer. The flavor, while it does not quite live up to the promise of the aroma, is still quite tasty in its own right, though it has some noticeable flaws. A tasty brew, that just might age quite nicely over the next couple years, despite no being bottle conditioned.
Purchased: Plaza Liquors, Tucson AZ
illinismitty (1260), Nashville, Tennessee, USA
May 14, 2008 Bottle from Frugal McDugal in Nashville, TN. Pours a deep dark brown with a milky brown head. Strong amounts of chocolate and dark roast in the nose. Full bodied, but with soft carbonation and smooth oily texture. This goes through a roller coaster of flavors, starting with chocolate and subtle scotch, then moving to sweet notes of vanilla. Mid palate brings on accents of smoke, peat, and ash. The dry and peppery finish has some warming alcohol followed by lingering notes of charred wood. Very complex and well brewed, but just way to may smoke going on here for me. I was hoping for more scotch, but got more of the barrel. Fans of smoked beers should dig this. This is definitely better as it gets closer to room temp
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