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2011, bottle no. 1574

Poured at cellar temp, it is pitch black with a 3 finger head of tan foam and when the foam shrinks, it leaves some nice lacing.

The smell of whiskey is up front and in your fac...err..nose. There's some notes of dark fruits and a pretty beefy nose of vanilla. Smells damn good.


The flavours are all over the place but work SO well. Big whiskey though not as dominant as in the smell. Very Malty with a nice not over the top sweetness, roasted malt is done nicely, a bit of dark fruit, vanilla, chocolate, some coffee?, toffee, an ever so slight presence of an alcohol bite. Marvelous!

Full bodied, hell yes, with a nice lightish level of carbonation, the mouthfeel, just like the rest of what this beer offers, is amazing.

Take all of what I wrote and put them together, this IS an amazing brew! /me shaking my head. The only reason I don't give this a 5 overall is that it is so damn strong/warming. I *could* have..

Served In: Pint Glass

Gooo Stranahans! Pours a midnight black color with a frothy dark tan head. Not as viscous as I would have thought. Limited retention but good lacing for the tasting.

The nose is mostly whiskey. Some of the base beer is present, with a light roast and chocolate backing. But limited. Some minor oaky notes with a hint of vanilla. Some yeast characteristics but light. Some plum and raisin notes.

The taste is amazing. The beer and whiskey notes come out and blend really well together. To start there is a sweetness that quickly balances with the roast and chocolate notes from the beer. But this is then blended with a stronger vanilla flavor that slowly brings out the whiskey and oak characters. Definitely a savory beer. As it warms the yeast note come out. Sugar plums and a bit of cherry notes. A light chalky in the finish.

The body is big. This is a beer that you really need to sit on and enjoy it. Carbonation is a bit high but still good. Overall a fantastic beer.

Served In: Bottle

Thanks to my buddy Greg for the bottle.

Very dark brown with brown edges when held to light. A little dark mocha head.

Aroma of fudge, bourbon, vanilla, a little booze. Very well mixed overall.

Chocolate, caramel, bourbon, vanilla, booze,and even some citrus hops left over. Bitter roasty, hoppy and drying oak finish.

Smooth syrupy mouthfeel with more carbonation than expected after hearing some flat bottle stories.

Really delicious. I'm glad I got a chance to try it.

Served In: Snifter

I couldn't resist this one any longer. Bottle 171/470

A: Poured a thick black color with about an inch of cocoa colored head.

S: This smells amazing! Smells of whiskey, caramel, oak and some chocolate.

T: A bunch of whiskey, but not over the top. Followed by some chocolate, caramel and roasted malts. This is well worth the hype. I haven't had many of the other rare RIS, but this one is definitely no let down.

M: Thick, creamy mouthfeel with just a bit of an alcohol sting at the back end.

As I said earlier, well worth the hype. I'll have to hold on to the other one I have and see how it is in a year or so. I can't wait.

Served In: Goblet