8.3

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9

Bottle. Very black with an inch of dense tan head that never quite disappears over the considerable time it took to drink half a litre of this. Aroma of deep roast, coffee, what I'm beginning to recognise as tonka beans, syrupy caramel. It's very nice and (unlike a few I've had recently) smells like it's stout that's driving the show, not spirits... but it does smells very sweet. And it is pretty sweet but hard roast, decent bitterness and a spicy oakiness keep it mosly in check. It's got fudgy mocha and almost unctuous vanilla. Oily with lowish carbonation. Right at the end, after the bitterness and peppery wood, there's a little burst of whisky. I really liked that that finish still imposed itself upon the richness. I liked this a little better than their Ramjet (the current #1 Australian beer).