St. Amatus 12 - De Struise Brouwers

Ruds

United Kingdom (England)

4.33/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Vintage 2010 poured from a 33cl bottle into a Belgian snifter to a rich plummy looking mid brown colour with a small off white head that soon dissipated to a few small bubbles.

The aroma is sweet malt, sugar, spices, dates and a little biscuity. Not the most striking or 'come and drink me' aroma I've noted on a quad!

Sweet on the palate, sweet malts, dark over-ripened fruits bombard the taste buds, perhaps dried prunes, dates, figs and sultanas with some background spice. Sweet caramel/toffee and a little tobacco and wood.

Reviewing as I drink and the beer is really growing on me and have already notched up the ratings a little!

Mouthfeel is of a medium to fullish (but not overly full) bodied beer and the carbonation is noticeable but low. Spot on!

Overall a great quad, extremely well balanced and the 10%+ alcohol is well disguised. It even passed the girlfriend test where she stated 'it's OK !' as opposed to the usual 'urghh' when she samples one of my beers!

I will most definately re-visit this one!!!

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2012 20:16:19 | More by Ruds

doopiedoopiedoo

Netherlands

4.25/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A beer that I've been lucky enough to have tried numerous times and so this time deserves a review.

33cl bottle purchased at Dranken Geers. 2010 Vintage.

Gave it a big hard pour into my Guiness pint glass. Two finger tan head. Brown to ruby red body. Carbonation is visible. Beautiful looking beer.

Smell is big and complex. Loads of sugar, dark fruits like plums that come with a bit of sournes. Belgian yeast is prominent.

Flavors are sweet to start with to only take you on a rollercoaster of flavors. Again the dark fruits, plum and raisins but also loads of spiced character with a tad of nutmeg and cinnamon.

A great medium to full body. Perfect amount of carbonation and a dry finish that allow flavors to linger until Christmas.

Without a doubt one of the best quads overall. It has a Struise signature that tendsto make big bers just awesome. Any lover of the style will ahve to add did to their wants or you'll be missing out.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2012 11:31:04 | More by doopiedoopiedoo

cosmicevan

New York

4.88/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

monsterous thanks goes to Rempo for being the coolest BA on the planet. he popped me this as an extra for uplands that he was proxying for me. what a dude! just ordered a few more of these, so why not try my only bottle in hand now? enjoyed in a La Trappe chalice.

a - poured a deep brown that settled almost plum in color. head was naturally creamy with some bubbling. this one is clearly authentic.

s - grapes dipped in chocolate. the candied belgian yeast is perfect. really smells wonderful. thick and rich.

t - exactly as expected. perfection for the style. strong grapes. wonderful balance. abv is invisible. so excited to have a few more of these on the way. lovin it. what a beer!

m - creamy and perfect. when it comes to belgian quads, i don't think anyone does it better than de struise. tasting this beer, you feel the history and it stands the test of time. beer can be amazing and this proves it. feels amazing...feels perfect.

o - overall, THIS IS a quad. you like quads? try this one...and as many pannepots as you can get ahold of. truly impressive for the style. de struise continues to impress.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2012 05:09:05 | More by cosmicevan

spdyfire83

Ireland

4.28/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

129th Review
Bottle to Westvletren 12 (small) chalice

From notes. This was beer #3 that was enjoyed as part of a blind Quad tasting - to warm our palates before the real tasting - in Utrecht (December 2011). Thanks Jeffo and doopiedoopiedoo for the hospitality!

A: Brown. 2 (off-tan) fingernail head on Jeffo's pour - I was being honest.

S: Loads of fig and other dark fruits, cinnamon, all spice, caramel malt, brown sugar, and a hint of chocolate.

T: Deep, complex, and fun. Dark fruit, faint chocolate, loads of roasted malt, caramel sweetness, and vanilla. Smooth!

M: Medium bodied with a nice amount of carbonation.

O: A very solid beer from a very solid brewery.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2012 18:14:19 | More by spdyfire83

haz77

United Kingdom (England)

4.2/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours an opaque dark brown, with an attractive three fingers of light tan head. This recedes to a rocky cap over the course of a minute and a half. Nothing to complain about here.

S - Molasses, loads of dried dark fruit, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, pear, brioche. Nice balance and depth.

T - The start is spiced dark fruits, before the bitterness of dark chocolate pushes through in the middle. Bready notes begin to then build and the finish is all brioche and some medicinal phenols. Aftertaste is bready/caramel as well as having some hop balance with leafiness and tobacco. It lingers and is about as good an aftertaste as I can recall.

M - Full bodied, but appears much less so due to quite lively carbonation. The velvety creaminess I've enjoyed so much in their other quads is lost until almost the end of the drink due to this.

D - Some really interesting elements here that don't quite hit the heights of their other quads. Even though this is the case, they've set the bar so high that this is still a very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2012 20:29:23 | More by haz77

BMoldy

New York

4.38/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2011 vintage served in a St. Bernardus chalice. The label is in Swedish (don't ask me why) and mentions only water, barley malt, oats, hops and yeast among the ingredients.

A: Super dark, almost black, muddled brown with a large but even light brown head. Retention is acceptable though far from outstanding, while there is almost no lacing. A few swirls after the head has completely settled yield almost no new foam, and the beer remains relatively still, suggesting a very mild carbonation.

S: Lots of cocoa-like roasted malts with a heavy dose of rich, dark fruit to boot. A deep molasses-esque sweetness adds depth and masks a hint of alcohol.

T/M: Follows the aroma to a T. Starts off chocolate-y and roasty before slowly evolving into a more yeasty and complex creature with a strong, almost syrupy sweetness and mild dark fruit (namely plum, or perhaps raisin) notes. The malt backbone is big and solid, though it is kept in check by an almost imperceptible hop presence. Rich, but not too heavy in body, the beer exhibits the characteristic Struise smoothness that comes mainly from a subdued (perhaps a little too much) yet generally adequate carbonation. Otherwise undetectable, the alcohol presents itself as a very mild warmth toward the end, without which the beer would seem incomplete. Ends on an unsurprisingly sweet note.

O: Delicious. If there are spices in here (which, according to the 2010 label I found online, there are) they are much more subdued than the other spiced Struise beers (e.g. Pannepot, Tsjeeses). The final product is a pleasingly complex yet harmonious quad that –to its benefit– retains a certain amount of simplicity. Put otherwise, it tastes like a very "natural" quad, if that makes any sense, and is well worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 18:09:09 | More by BMoldy

WillCarrera

Illinois

4.2/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Picked up a bottle at Bier Tempel in Bruges. 2010 vintage. Poured into a chalice.

A- Pours a murky dark brown with a thin layer of tan head that fizzles down to a wisp.

S- Very powerful aroma, lots of dark fruits and a big dose of spice. Dark caramel malt in the background.

T- Very very sweet up front, big slam of fruit and caramel malt. Very boozy with very powerful spice. Decent amount of phenol cough syrup flavor.

M- Well carbonated, full bodied, has a thick, syrupy feel.

O- An extremely aggressive quad, the flavors all work, but the sweetness is verging on overpowering, definitely a sipper, it's a good beer but I definitely prefer Pannepot.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2011 21:12:48 | More by WillCarrera

siradmiralnelson

Iowa

4.1/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

2010 Vintage. 33cl bottle poured into Chalice. Thanks to Kendall for hooking this up.

A. Poured 1 finger of tan colored head. Moderate lacing. Decent retention. Color is very dark brown.

S. Strong malt smell. Caramel malt, with a hint of roasted. Some spices as well. Not that sweet smelling. Dark fruit smell is there, but not that strong. Has more of an earthy dryer smell than other De Struise quads.

T. Really caramel malt dominated. Almost to the point it feels as if it has move away from a quad some. Not very sweet. Get some sour cherry on the back of the tongue. Just a little too malt focused for me and a little bit of roasted malt flavor that seemed strange.

M. Medium/full bodied. Low carbonation Finishes clean and drinks dry.

O. I for some reason had the highest expectations of this quad from De Struise than all the others. It was actually probably my least favorite. A really good beer don't get me wrong. Holds its own with some of the best in the style, but when compared to Pannepot and Pannepeut it was not as good based on my liking.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2011 01:07:54 | More by siradmiralnelson

MattSweatshirt

Texas

4/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2010 bottle into a De Struise glass

The beer produces a thin tan bubbly head. It's dark brown; reminiscent of a cola. The lacing is almost nonexistent.

A sweet smelling drink with notes of sweet caramel and dark fruits.

The first sip the tongue got hit with a big sweet caramel jab.
The dark fruits also join in.

The carbonation is tame and it has a great smooth mouthfeel.

Definitely worthy of a try if you come across it.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2011 04:49:46 | More by MattSweatshirt

Damian

Massachusetts

3.83/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Drank from a 33 cl bottle
Vintage 2010
Best before B 09 15
Served in a goblet
Thanks to Douglasjamjak for including this as an extra in our trade.

The beer poured a deep, dark, chestnut brown with a one-plus finger tall head of bubbly, beige colored froth. Even with a careful pour, large chunks of yeast particles flowed into the liquid. The head faded to a resilient ring.

The aroma was interesting yet more subtle than I anticipated. Coffee and roast notes were immediately noticeable. A hint of dark chocolate. Slightly smoky. As the beer warmed, some brown sugar sweetness came out as well. A bit yeasty and phenolic.

The flavor profile was quite different from the nose. Signature quad notes of plums, raisins and prunes came through up front. Semi-sweet with some dark Belgian candi sugar. As the beer moved along my palate, it became increasingly boozy. The alcohol heat was practically all I could pick up on the back end and in the finish. A touch of hops were detectible. With time, the beer turned more oaky and dry.

The mouthfeel was definitely the most impressive aspect of this beer. It was medium bodied and contained an ultra-fine, moderate effervescence that gave the liquid a remarkably smooth and supple creaminess.

I definitely would have enjoyed this beer far more had it not been so boozy on the back end. Perhaps some additional aging could help smooth out its rough edges.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2011 06:19:32 | More by Damian

Bierman9

New Hampshire

4.1/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This was from a 0.33l bottle I picked up at the Struise shop in Brugge (for €4.60) while there in late September. Enjoyed yesterday at home with the family...

Poured into a small tulip glass, it was a dense, opaque brown color. Head was a simple ring of wispy bubbles near the edge of the glass, leaving a touch of lace. Nose was malty rich, with a nice mix of caramel and dark fruit. It had a solid, medium body, with a decent, smooth feel on the tongue.

Light sweetness was the first to arrive, with a good base of malts and caramel present. Dark fruit flavors all hit the palate, with some raisin and fig-like notes appearing. The finish was on the dry side, and lent a fair amount of bitterness to proceedings. Decent, but lacks complexity and is not quite worth the price, imo. Prosit!!

4.1 rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

1402

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2011 17:15:49 | More by Bierman9

Sunnanek

Sweden

3.08/5  rDev -27.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: Pours deep murky brown with a large but still uneven tan head that sinks and leaves only faint lacins.

S: Tart! Dark dried fruits, sweet syrupy malt. Some yeast.

T: Dark dried fruits, sweet overload. Some malt and some yeast but not much else.

M: Full syrupy body and very low carbonation. Aftertaste lingers with sweetness.

O: A great beer, but not a great Quad. Reviewing the beer in this style kills it - a Quad is so very complex and this isn't in comparison with the greater ones. Still a fantastic beer, though.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2011 19:57:32 | More by Sunnanek

rarbring

Sweden

3.93/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

The beer is dark brown, has some haziness, a tan frothy head, leaves no lacing, but some curtains.

A slightly sour fruit smell, yeast and boiled meat.

Tasting of sweet fruits, raisins, dried apricots, sour and bitter oranges, dry grass and some moss.

Medium high carbonation, small foamy bubbles, thick and oily, a slight dry round finish. A huge body.

A good solid strong Belgian, very good with hard cheese.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2011 15:09:59 | More by rarbring

xpimptastikx

Texas

4.15/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - dark brown with pilllowy khaki head.
S - Oak, figs, candi sugar, yeast.
T - Nice and sweet with a nice Belgian spice that Struise is excellent at.
M - Creamy carbonation with a nice finish.
O - A solid quad that I only wish was more available and/or cheaper.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2011 01:55:56 | More by xpimptastikx

Crittervision

North Carolina

3.85/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

33cl bottle into a Struise glass at Kulminator on 13 August 2011. 

Deep brown with burgundy highlights. Thin boné, regenerative. 

Tart cherry melded with caramel, and bitter cocoa in the nostrils. 

Taste is a touch dry in the form of cinnamon or cardamom, many sweet accents in the form of semi-sweet chocolate, pruney pipe tobacco, with bright-but-soft citrus on the sides of the tongue. 

Carbonation is a little high and bites a little on the back of the throat. Otherwise nice. 

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2011 12:40:11 | More by Crittervision

Zimbo

United Kingdom (Scotland)

4.28/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Just looking at that sexy incredibly dark smooth brown bordering on black colour with super red ruby jewel highlights you know you have a total babe in front of you. Thin head but it is constant throughout.

Very slight medicinal taste, sappy with a very pleasant just sugary sweetness and dryness and some soft leafy earthiness too. Medium to full bodied with a degree of mealiness on the tongue. Sharp but gentle carbonation which softens the longer it stays in the glass.

So so much going on there and so obviously well put together. a fair amount of power too but it is restrained in the delivery with its super sophistication.
Strong, beautiful and complete. Wow.

Many thanks for this bottle Thijs. And for the one I still have!

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2011 21:35:45 | More by Zimbo

thepeter

United Kingdom (England)

4.4/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

poured a dark murky brown great head and lacing
smelled of fruit, berries, plums chocolate, caramel and nuts
Taste dark fruits, nice malty base, vanilla, bit of tang and nut in there but only to make it complex and delicious a bit of woody dryness at the end as well.
Palate is Just as the Struise always do it. . .Perfect!
Overall a fantastic Quad, Fresh compared to the other big boys (fresh) it is one of if not my favourite.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2011 23:28:44 | More by thepeter

Mar02x

Netherlands

4.38/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Deep dark brown an dred color. No carbonation visible. Nice beige head that quickly dissolves.

S - Nice pallet of smells, complex. Wine aroma, yeast, oak wood, sweetness and some booze.

T - Complex and brilliant, cream, bit sweet caramel, hops an vanilla. It gets better every time you take a gulp. Is there some coffee in there? A hint of spices like coriander and cardamom.

M - Sweet and creamy, very nice The carbonation is soft to medium. The finish is bitter and boozy.

O - Drink it without distraction and you will enjoy even better. To my opinion this is one of the best beers from the Struise Brewers. World-class!

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2011 19:40:07 | More by Mar02x

spicelab

Australia

3.98/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to bluebetty for hooking this up. Sampled from a De Dolle stemmed tulip.

Deep murky treacle, with a finger or so of reasonably dense mocha head. Falls to a slight ring.

Stewed dark fruits, muscovado, almond and hazelnut, and plenty of woody yeast character. Has an enticing musty sweetness to it.

Sour cherries, boozy plums, muscatels, licquorice, figs and mollasses. Very nice and not particularly sweet for a quad.

Fairly lively carbonation on the tongue, but overall quite smooth, even and kind across the palate, with amazingly no booze heat.

Not the most amazing quad, more intriguing than complex, but well integrated and not cloyingly sweet.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2011 10:35:01 | More by spicelab

russwbeck

Virginia

4.22/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Got this as an extra in a trade with Douglasjamjak a while back. Lot B 09 15. Vintage: 2010

A: Reddish brown pour with an impressive light brown head. Very thick, the head laces in chunks down the sides of my De Struise Goblet.

S: The smell on this is extremely interesting. Booze, Belgian Yeast, Candi Sugar, Plums, Dark Fruits, Brown Sugar. Definitely complex.

T: You get the dryness up front I've come to expect from quads. Brown Sugar, Molasses. Followed by Booze and Dark Fruits. Raisins and Plums to me. The fruits stick around on the backend and blend nicely with lingering booze to finish the beer off well.

MF: Warming alcohol feeling as you drink. Medium bodied, nicely carbonated.

O: I was excited to get this beer, excited when I first poured/smelled it, and the taste came through. Very happy with this offering. Solid all around.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2011 03:57:15 | More by russwbeck

readbaron

Illinois

4.4/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to KickInTheChalice for sharing this gem.

Pours a hazy brown with a bit of off white foam and a little lacing.

Smell is unusual - brown sugar/molassas/caramel, alcohol, fermented dark fruit, and a hint of tartness - maybe sour cherry? It's on odd combination that almosts comes across as solventy, but is still quite pleasant.

Taste is subtle - not as overpowering as most quads. Some sweetness, but not figgy. Just incredibly smooth. You can feel the alcohol but it's not boozy. There are some spice notes - nutmeg, clove? A very complex and delicious beer.

Mouthfeel is good. Medium/heavy with lovely creamy carbonation.

Overall - not like anything I've had before. A really tasty beer. Wish I had more.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2011 00:39:51 | More by readbaron

KickInTheChalice

Illinois

4.68/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from an 33 cl bottle into a tulip. Vintage 2010.

Appearance: Fairly transparent cherry dark brown color with a thick sea foam tan cap. Nice retention and some spots of lace sticking to the glass.

Smell: Sweet and actually a little tart. A bit of molasses and caramel, but mostly brown sugar sweetness. Some lightly roasted malt. Sweet and tart cherry go along with some fig and raisin to add fruit and depth.

Taste: Quite sweet up front, but the sweetness doesn't linger. Brown sugar is the main flavor, with a touch of molasses and some caramel from the malt. Nice dark fruits - figs and raisins mostly, and some cherry as well. Nutmeg, cinnamon, and a bit of all spice are a delicate addition. A touch of tart cherry toward the end. There is a light alcohol flavor throughout, but I am only slightly aware of it, and it does not detract from the flavor at all.

Mouthfeel: This is full bodied, but a bit lighter than I remember for most quads. The carbonation is light, preferring to stay out of the way, but it is a bit soft. Although there are sweet flavors, it does not have much residual stickiness.

Overall: Wow. This is complex, intriguing, maybe even confusing. Each person drinking this was almost perplexed by the flavor. That is a winner in my book.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2011 00:39:35 | More by KickInTheChalice

Reaper16

Alabama

4.68/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

11.2oz. bottle -- 2010 vintage -- served into a tulip glass

Pours a dark, rich cola brown color. This is one of the darker Quads I’ve yet come across. A little over one finger of smooth beige head on this pour, nicely creamy and composed of very fine bubbles. Graceful arches of lacing compliment the whole thing.

The first wave of aroma comes across as coffee, actually. I didn’t expect that. Like a flavored coffee that’s been sitting out for too long; not “stale” but approaching it. It’s musty. These malt aromas could come across as syrupy-sweet, but the yeasty mustiness tempers that capability. This is such a refined aroma: dates, figs, brown sugar, all cushioned by the dense fog of old house smell. It may seem uncomplex at first, because there aren’t a lot of individual components to pick out. It is a mistake to think that this is a simple beer, though. Everything is so well-integrated. A brewing achievement.

How do I even describe this beer? Like the aroma, it is at all times a smooth, cohesive experience. Malt sweetness plus cinnamon plus coffee plus figs plus dates plus basement mustiness plus candied plum plus brown sugar plus roasted malts plus tobacco leaf plus clove plus… but you don’t really taste all of those things individually. You taste them all at once, as a single, refined, extraordinary flavor. I may have never had a beer that tastes this cohesive. And the balance? It’s off the charts. You never notice the 10.5% ABV; this is the most dangerously drinkable Quad I’ve ever had.

Few Quads feel as good in the mouth as this one. It’s got a medium-full body, not too heavy but certainly creamy. The carbonation is set to Barry White levels of Smooove. This is a pretty luxurious beer, but also one that doesn’t leave you taking tiny sips. I found myself wanting to take big, greedy gulps of this beer.

Sometimes I find myself at a loss of words to describe beers that are indicative of truly great craftsmanship. This is one of those times. I can describe a complex, artistic, expriamental beer all day long. But a beer like Saint Amatus 12 – classic, self-assured – leaves me unable to convey its greatness. If this ever appears on the Struise webshop again then I am going to buy a case of this. You know, I’ve never had the privilege of trying a Westvleteren 12. But this beer tastes pretty much how I’ve always imagined Westy 12 to taste. It’s that well-made, that classic, that damn good.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2011 19:14:24 | More by Reaper16

rvdoorn

Netherlands

4.22/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Look: the beer pours a dark-brown color with a medium head.
Smell: Sweet caramel, malts, Belgium yeast, dark fruits, nuts, light spices
Taste: Malts, dark fruits, and spices. The sweetness and spices are perfectly balanced. Dry spicy finish
Mouthfeel: a bit thin body for the style, medium carbonation.
Overall: Nice beer, but I prefer the pannepot.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2011 14:42:09 | More by rvdoorn

ktrillionaire

Florida

4.33/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Review from the backlog. Big thanks to MasterSki for sharing this on his trip to Florida.

A - Quad-y. Ruby-mahogany with fawn microbubble froth.

S - Clean maltiness gives way to faint notes of fig, raisin and black rum (though not aged on rum.) Barrel adds just the slightest nuance.

T - While not as complex as its brethren, Pannepot, it is sublimely balanced and nuanced. The malt retains some semblance of grain flavor in addition to the fig-raisin-prune. There is a healthy dose of the essence of dark rum, and the vaguest sense of mulled spices. There is also a slight savory-salty-mushroomy-saucy element that is very well-integrated, regardless of the strangeness of those descriptors. Oak is fairly apparent, and adds a discernible tannic dryness, especially towards the finish.

M - Silky-smooth.

D - Nice, but I wouldn't seek this out over any version or vintage of Pannepot.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2011 13:55:08 | More by ktrillionaire