★ Review: North Coast Old Stock Cellar Reserve Bourbon Barrel (2009)

   AROMA 10/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 10/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL19/20

Acquired at Hunger Mountain Co-Op in March. I believe this was priced at about $30. Enjoyed at Cellar temp in a snifter.A – 2-finger slight tan head was produced but faded almost instantly. Very solid alcohol legs on the glass. Sort of a dark brown, hint of amber and plum appearance.S – Hint of sweetness and minor maltiness on the nose. It’s a very unsuprisingly unsweet scent for a barleywine. Then again, this is an aged beer so perhaps this isn’t too surprising. Smokey oak and Bourbon and present but very smooth and not over boozy. The nose overall has a great balance.

T – This is incredibly hard to describe. First, I get some dark fruits like figs and cherries. Followed by a minor sweetness and hint of delicate vanilla bourbon whiskey. The sweetness is a mix of simple syrup and brown sugar. I love that there’s this caramel and candy like taste at the finish.

M – This coats the tongue and numbs it. It’s a mouth numbing beer that has a sort of orajel like feeling when it numbs things. Very heavy body, slick oily texture and vanilla sweetness finish.

O – This may be one of the finest barley wines I’ve ever had. It’s incredible and exceptional in so many ways. It’s hard to not give this beer a 5.