Marshal Zhukov's Imperial Stout - Cigar City Brewing

Chaney

District of Columbia

4.7/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2011 Vintage, but I still have 2010 in the cellar.

I'm splitting this with my wife tonight, but she's playing "Dance, Dance Revolution" and working on a Flying Dog "Kujo" right now, so I'm not sure how that's going to go.

I've been wanting to try this one forever!

Served in a snifter.

A: No other way to say it: This one is pitch black! Additionally, there was not light showing through and the head was ridiculously dark as well.

S: I got lots of Imperial Stout-esqe notes on the nose: Soy sauce, LOTS of dark chocolate, figs, and cigar ash. This was fairly bright overall in terms of RISs.

T: Wow! This was an amazing blend of figs, cocoa, and ash. On the palate, I got more dark fruit than anything else. On the finish, I actually got some very bright plum notes. Pretty amazing actually.

M: Creamy and delectable, with a sweet profile that was very calculated and perfect in every way. The lacing was sticky and the carbonation was low, yet perfect in this setting.

O: I guess this is the base beer for "Hunahpu's." It exceeded my expectations in much the same way that "Hunapuh's" did.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2012 00:07:30 | More by Chaney

mrebeka

Michigan

4.95/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

2010 vintage -- I've had this one in the cellar for close to 2 years and finally cracked it open.

A- Poured into a CBS snifter...black as motor oil with very little head. Nice lacing around the glass. As a WWII buff, I love the labeling.

S- Heavy coffee with a perfect amount of chocolate, some molasses and hints of vanilla. Great smell, can't wait to taste.

T- Excellent....I love stouts, and I just love this beer. A great mix of flavors. Robust layers of chocolate and coffee. The high ABV is there, but covered up with the array of flavors quite nicely. The more I drink this, the more I wish I had more.

M- Very heavy and very chewy but in a good way.

O- Hats off to Cigar City on this brew. I still love my Founders and Goose Island stouts, but this one is a big plus for the best brewery south of the Mason Dixon. Having this makes me want to try a Hunahpu even more.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2012 02:46:43 | More by mrebeka

billshmeinke

California

3.85/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Huge, sticky, black as can be, super duper sweet but with enough of a roasty and coffee finish to persuade you that there's some sort of "balance." Seriously though, so so sweet. Really mouth coating and gnarly viscous with hints of berries, cherries, licorice, chocolate, and smoke. If you like sweet and super viscous imperial stouts, try and find some of this.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2012 05:05:26 | More by billshmeinke

xpdrinker

Florida

4.85/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A - 25.4oz bottle courtesy of biggsbowler (thanks!). Bottle July '11. Pours like sludge. Super pitch black, monster dark brown head. 

S - Coffee, dark chocolate, booze-soaked dark fruit, molasses and a little raisin. Little bit of vanilla.

T - Cocoa, chocolate truffles, slightly nutty. Dark fruit, vanilla. Fantastic.

M - Like a bucket of black paint. Carbonation has faded a little but this thing coats the mouth and stays. You can almost chew on it.

O - This is probably not only my favorite stout but also my favorite beer. Perhaps it's destiny that it's released the same month as my birthday. I'll be getting an entire case next year.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2012 01:46:42 | More by xpdrinker

sholland119

Pennsylvania

4.47/5  rDev +3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Back from a short business trip, sharing Blind Beer #6 with vickster529 as a nightcap. The suggested "glassware" is, if I understand the drawing properly, a syringe. I consider myself forewarned. A bomber into Vickie's Mad Elf snifter and my DFH snifter.

A-There's black, there's motor oil black, there's deep, opaque black. Then there's this black, which I lack the vocabulary to describe. This beer also has the darkest foamy brown head I think I have ever seen. Going out on a limb and guessing RIS for this one. Looks awesome! 5.0

S-Big and bad. Rich and roasty, tons of dark chocolate, toffee, booze soaked cherries. Outstanding. 4.5

T-Lives up to the expectations of the look and the nose. Rich, very nice roasty base, some heat that is well controlled, toasty marshmallow and huge chocolate and espresso notes. 4.5

M-Heavy but not tiring on the palate. Medium carbonation works well here. 4

O-Excellent! The perfect knockout punch after a long day of meetings and travel. This beer rocks! Tons of flavor, well controlled heat, rich flavors.4.5

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2012 03:12:42 | More by sholland119

billab914

Virginia

3.98/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle shared by Rhettroactive. Poured from a 750ml bottle into a snifter. It poured pitch black in color and very thick looking. It had a dark chocolate colored head clinging to the edges of the glass and scattered across the top of the beer. Great looking beer.

The aroma shows a lot of dark chocolate to it. I get some molasses and caramel sweetness out of it along with a little roasty bitterness. What I start to really notice though is a tart, somewhat fruity presence that has a bit of a raspberry like flavor to it. It gives it kind of a strange twist, but not enough to take away from all the other really good flavors.

The taste also shows a lot of dark, bitter-sweet chocolate to it throughout. The finish is where I get a stronger roasty, coffee like bitterness coming out. Again though I get a little bit of a fruity, tart, sweetness to it that just seems out of place.

The mouthfeel is thick and silky smooth with carbonation being moderate for the style. Overall it was a pretty good beer. I really liked the dark chocolate and roasty flavors but the fruity, sweet, tart, raspberry like flavors that I got just seemed out of place in it to me. Good beer but not great.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2012 18:59:33 | More by billab914

siege06nd

Virginia

4.03/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle generously shared by Rhettroactive. Thanks, Rhett!!

Poured into a snifter.

A: Oil sludge right here. Inky black with a beautiful finger and a half of dark brown head...I love it when a head is this dark. Quickly settles to a half finger with a good amount of sticky lacing. The head is frothy and bubbly, like chocolate milk. Head isn't super consistent, but coloring is top notch here.

S: A lot of cocoa, brownie, coffee grounds. There's a bit of astringency in the nose that is throwing me...almost smells like a milk stout...a lactic acidity.

T: Milk chocolate, some coffee, coconut. Super sweet and that same astringency shows up again, but it's more refined than it was in the nose. Just wave after wave of chocolate: milk, mocha, baking, dark, semi-sweet. Definitely the defining characteristic here. Coffee hangs in the background and pops up here and there. But the astringency holds it back...super sweet and borderline sour, but only for a moment. Even with that, though, it's a very good flavor profile.

M: Pretty assertively carbonated. Full bodied. Sweet, cloying, sticky. Right on.

O: A good Russian Imperial Stout here. A slightly off sourish sweetness on the mid hurts it a little bit. Not sure where that is coming from, could actually be hops. That being said, the other flavors are outstanding. One of the most chocolately RIS's I've had the pleasure of trying. A very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2012 01:48:53 | More by siege06nd

MBrausen

Minnesota

4.78/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured from a bottle into a CBS snifter.

A. Pours a dark black, mocha brown head the settled to a light foam layer.

S. Smells of chocolate, toffee, and a little caramel.

T. Tastes of milk chocolate, light toffee and caramel with a mild hop profile showing.

M. Very thick and chewy, malty and very sticky finish.

O. Super good beer. Amazingly simple and pleasureful beer, chocolate in the right amounts, a great RIS and well made. I will be looking for a bottle of this in the future.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2012 21:48:45 | More by MBrausen

tewaris

Minnesota

4.38/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2010 vintage shared by rebis1bear. Thanks! Poured into a tasting snifter.

Is this the base beer for Hunaphu's? I don't know but these sure are related. Actually black and way darker than other stouts. I know that dark as sin/night/etc is an adjective thrown around much, but damn! this IS as dark as black hole ;-)

Not much of a head here, but some thick legs are seen. Aroma is sweet and charred, but the taste is way overpowering and complex, in a very delicious way. Residual sugars, char, roast, coffee... I could go on but in summary, Zhukov's tastes of roasted fire whatever that means. Damn delicious, a straight up stout with a velvety smoothness, and excellent taste!

4, 4, 4.5, 4.5, 4.5

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2012 19:39:08 | More by tewaris

Phoenix2443

Texas

4.9/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Bottle from randombattle, poured into a new Belgium globe glass.

Pours a dark black with a short brown head. Nice foam color I'm excited now.

Well I smell the alcohol there but hey it is 11%. Lots of dark roast smells too.

Taste is lots of milk chocolate and dark roasting as. Hop bitterness is a good balance at the end. One of the best tasting stouts I can recall.

Mouthfeel is where this really shines, nice and heavy. Syrupy without the soy sauce awfulness.

Overall this has to be the best stout I've had to date. I am really impressed. Lives up to the hype.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2012 08:05:59 | More by Phoenix2443

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

4.3/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml Bottle - Thanks to lubiere for this

Appearance - Black/brown colour with a large size fizzy/frothy brown coloured head. I can't see much carbonation due the darkness of the beer and there is some good lacing on the sides of the glass. The head lasted for around 5 minutes.

Smell - Chocolate, coffee, malts, smoke, nuts

Taste & Mouth - The beer has an average amount of carbonation and it isn't as syrupy feeling as I expected. I can taste lots of chocolate, coffee, molasses, and some nuts. There is also a nice amount of smoke mixed with malts. It ends with a bitter sweet aftertaste.

Overall – One of the better RIS's Ive had. Although the taste is big and bold, it's still very drinkable and well balanced. I'd love to have a few bottles of this tucked away.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2012 19:57:39 | More by spinrsx

codysjb

Florida

4.13/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had a 2011 vintage in a tulip earlier this year. This review will be updated asap once I grab another bottle. Poured a black, thick, viscous beer. Smells sweet, lots of chocolate in this once some caramel as well. Really sweet… almost too sweet for me (and I usually love sweet chocolate bombs), this would be good barrel aged (hence the reason hunahpu is so popular). I need to try this again, but this was very chocolaty and sweet.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2012 04:31:14 | More by codysjb

rfgetz

New Jersey

4.72/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a deep deep dark black color with a nice cap of creamy mocha head, settles into a long lasting collar. Scent is filled with fantastic dark malts, bitter baking chocolate, fudge, dark roasted and freshly brewed coffee, dark pitted fruits, faint notes of vanilla and coconut. Taste follows suit, deeply layered flavor with each note standing out at particular points in the drinking experience, but none being too powerful to cover anything else up. Full bodied, thick, and coating, entire glass was left with brown tint after drinking. An excellent beer that I may have enjoyed slightly more than the aged versions - blasphemous? maybe...

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2012 14:37:25 | More by rfgetz

yourefragile

District of Columbia

3.98/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750 mL 2011 bottle.

Pours viscous and dark black with chocolate edges. Dark mocha head, fades to a collar, with some legs. Roast malt and coffee nose, minimal sweetness or chocolate, mildly hoppy. Flavor is sweeter than nose, with caramel, coffee, chocolate, toffee, and pine. Thicker side of medium body with low carbonation; coats the palate and lingers well through finish with minimal heat. Other than the nose, this is an impressive RIS.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2012 21:51:52 | More by yourefragile

bigaltemple

Colorado

4.03/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours like motor oil. Jet black color doesn't allow any light to pass through. Very dark brown two-finger head leaves thick lace clinging to the sides of the glass.

S - Sweet toffee. Roasted dark maltiness really dominates along with some big notes of coffee.

T/M - Overly sweet, chocolatey coffee up front. The roasted malts really come through in the taste as well. Has quite a bitter finish that hangs around for awhile. Full-bodied with a surprising amount of carbonation. That really helps balance out the feel.

O - No complaints with this one. Really glad I got my hands on a bottle, and would definitely try another one.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2012 02:33:53 | More by bigaltemple

scottfrie

California

3.35/5  rDev -22.8%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

750ml bottle into brandy snifter. Thanks to the generous BA who traded me this one.

A: Pours pitch black with an extremely unimpressive collection of bubbles that I guess is supposed to be considered a head. A couple of tiny soapy specs of lace were left down the glass.
S: Notes of chocolate, molasses, and a hint of toffee. Not a very smelly beer.
T: Rich notes of bitter dark chocolate, sweet fudge brownies, dark roasted malts, and a hint of caramel. I get a touch of coffee in the finish, and the aftertaste contains notes of molasses and faint earthy hops.
M: Thick body, slick and chewy mouthfeel, but almost no carbonation. This beer seriously needs some bubbles. Alcohol is hidden very well.
O: I was a bit let down by this one. The flavor is good but not very complex, and while the body is thick the carbonation is borderline watery. Hopefully this is just bottle variation, as fuller carbonation would be a drastic increase.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2012 02:01:25 | More by scottfrie

TheGordianKnot

Tennessee

4.03/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Traded for this back at BASC release. Poured into NB globe...

A- Uhhh, wow... Definitely the thickest beer I've ever poured, much more so than Hunahpu. Tints the glass brownish yellow as it holds onto the sides. Looks like oil with no head, no bubbles, no sign of life, just a raging erection in my pants...

S- This is a big badass stout alright. I think my nose just melted. Roasted barley, nice malted grain aroma. Chocolate and plums with a touch of anise. Even some coconut to round it out.

T/M- Thick as shit, holy hell. Sweet chocolate and roast initially hit my palate and a slight smoke component comes out. Alcohol really sweetens this up, but its not hot at all. As it warms it really smooths out well and isn't such a pill to swallow- because initially it is a bit much. Full, slick, chewy body with almost zero carbonation.

O- Well, this is the most RIS-y RIS I've ever had, if that makes sense? Drinks much like a meal as there were 4 of us who had trouble finishing this because it was so heavy and filling. Not necessarily the best, it IS good, but damn it's bold. Roils definitely try again, maybe put a couple years on it though...

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2012 14:16:57 | More by TheGordianKnot

zaphodchak

Virginia

4.33/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours like OIL. Solid finger of brown, almost black head. Incredibly dark body with nice lace. Almost nothing looks like this.

Licorice, fennel, and some tangy, malty funk in the nose.

Bitter and charred. Lots of bitter black chocolate, sweeter malt on the aftertaste. Some of that bitterness is probably hops, but it's hard to tell.

Quite syrupy.

Remarkable. Darkest head I've seen. Brutally intense, but kinda balanced. Not 'drinkable,' but good. Everyone's favorite paradox.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2012 03:25:07 | More by zaphodchak

pixieskid

France

3.5/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 5 | overall: 3.5

This beer exhibits things that I love in an imperial stout but at the same time was surprised that I didn't enjoy it more...

Pours black as night with a solid 2 finger head; has a bit of that redish color like Huna does but not quite as good looking.
Nose; milk chocolate, a bit of roastiness.
Taste; way different than the last bottle I had, which was the under-carbonated batch from 2010. It's like a boozy milkshake, extremely one dimensional and somewhat cloyingly sweet.
Mouthfeel is super thick, chewy, and rich.

Overall; I don't know if it was just too much at the time, or if my palate has changed, but as Harrymel stated, it was somewhat of a chore to drink and I only had a third of the bottle. It's not that I didn't enjoy it, it was just too much and surprised me as I've drank nearly an entire bottle of Huna to myself and loved every sip...

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2012 19:56:36 | More by pixieskid

harrymel

Washington

3.73/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

Vintage 2011

Wow, I don't understand how anybody can finish a bottle of this on their own. The beer pours obviously thicker than most worts, and creates a lovely dark, dark brown head that takes on a ruddy and maroon hue. The beer is black as night, and coats the glass almost as much as a Triple Bock.

Nose is dark, roasty, oaty, molasses, brown sugar, prunes and some more molasses. The flavor delivers in the same lane of experience, toss in some hints of burnt coffee and raisin.

The most overwhelming aspect of this beer is the mouthfeel. I've yet to experience anything thicker than this beer. It feels twice as dense as it looks, and rips the moisture from my mouth. It is brutally assertive in it's osmotic draw from my oral cavity.

I can't decide if this is a good beer, or simply a beer worth trying. It is certainly a beer with complexity and intrigue, but is it worth seeking? I dunno, I can't see myself wanting another bottle of this. There were two of us (thanks to pixieskid for sharing this one) and I had most of the bottle, and the last sips seemed like a chore. IMO, that should never be the case. I can say, however, that the beer tasted good, and looked lovely. The mouthfeel is sooo polarizing for me that I wonder if I would appreciate it again.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2012 07:26:50 | More by harrymel

JoEBoBpr

Missouri

4.05/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a tulip glass from a 750ml bottle.

A - This is one of the most attractive beers I've ever seen. It pours a viscus oily pitch black abyss. Almost like syrup. There is a nice thin 1/4 of an inch dark dark brown head that sticks around for a bit with some nice dense and frothy bubbles. Almost like a cappuccino.

S - Starts off with tons of sweet molasses. There is some chocolate in there as well as some nice toffee and caramel. There is a heavy sweetness to the aroma. Slight roast and espresso notes with licorice in there.

T & M - Starts off with some slight roast and coffee notes that is then overwhelmed by tons of malt. The malt notes are quite intense with some caramel and toffee notes as well as very noticeable grain notes. There is quite a bit of licorice and some nice milk chocolate sweetness and slight dark chocolate bitterness and richness. There is some wood notes as the beer warms and the licorice and dark malt really wakes up as it warms. One of the most licorice-filled palette and noses I've ever had. The mouthfeel is very oily and chewy. Definitely a full bodied beer. It could use some more CO2.

O - The beer is very nice looking and has some nice aromas and well crafted flavors. My only complaint is the licorice. It doesn't seem as balanced as other RIS in that department. Other than that it has some nice roast and sweetness. Good beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 21:26:22 | More by JoEBoBpr

czfreeman

Michigan

4.22/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle. Christmas gift from my dad. Enjoying a glass on this new years day.
Pours an inky blacker than black.Head is deep brown color. smoky almost. Deep espresso foam color. Gorgeous stout appearance.
Smells of 70% cocoa, espresso, licorice, burnt malt, sorghum molasses, toffee, maple, buckwheat, a nice slightly sour dark Sourdough bread undertone, pepper coffee, really nice and full.
Taste is ...wow..syrupy molasses,chocolate, coffee liqorice, coffe liqour, sweet, sticky malt blackstap molasses in big way, smoke tobacco, malt.just overall a big thick rich blend of espresso molasses smoothness.
Mouthfeel is sticky rich and full. each sip is another wave of flavor.Palate coating, low carbonation, almost too low.
Great sipper, great stout. Carbonation affects my scoring a bit, but over all another great beer fromCCB.
Thanks Dad Prost!

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 05:24:00 | More by czfreeman

pokesbeerdude

Colorado

4.2/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750ml bottle, not sure who I got this particular bottle from, but it's either Centennial or Blazer06, either way thanks guys. Into a Stone IRS glass.

A: Probably the darkest beer I've held in my hands, completely black, no light, even around the edges of the glass. About an inch of head shows up, and it is easily the darkest brown head I've ever seen. Nice lacing left behind. Damn fine looking beer.

S: Rich chocolate, caramel malts, and a fair amount of roasted malts. Smells incredibly sweet. Lots of molasses and coffee, brown sugar and a ton of great strong dark beer smells. There's a lot going on here, but I wish it just popped a little bit more. Still, quite nice.

T: A lot like it smells, tons of sweetness. Right off the bat I get black coffee with sugar mixed in, that's exactly what it tastes like. Under that is a nice chocolate and caramel flavor that lingers just long enough to fade into coffee and burnt malts. A fair amount of bitterness wraps things up, not full on from hops, as there is some bitter burnt malt in there, but it is a nice resiny, hoppy bitterness.

M: Incredibly thick with the perfect amount of carbonation, a very fine carbonation, that really aides to making this a thick, creamy beer. Very sticky on the lips. Just about perfect here. Not boozy at all.

O: A very sweet stout, that tonight is hitting the spot. I'm not a huge fan of coffee and sugar, but with the chocolate and bit of hoppy bitterness make this really nice. Excellent dessert beer. The mouthfeel is almost exactly right, really thick, and sticky. Really a nice beer, lives up to it's reputation.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 03:48:02 | More by pokesbeerdude

BlastBeats

Illinois

4.18/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Acquired in a trade from bryanole27.. thanks man!
Marshal Zhukov's Imperial Stout has been a long time want of mine.

Appearance: Served appropriately in my Cigar City snifter - Marshal Zhukov's glugs from it's 750mL bottle with such viscosity that comparisons to motor oil become inevitable.. the head on this thing is a foreboding espresso color. It's also impenetrable to light; completely opaque and one of the darkest beers I've ever seen.

Smell: charred malt with touch of mustiness; there's that uniquely British hop aroma in there as well.

Taste: a bunch of dark chocolate along with some dark toffee, espresso, and molasses.. the finish is what sets this beer apart though - it's surprisingly earthy and herbal. I remember reading someone's take on Marshal Zhukov's here on Beer Advocate and they used the descriptor "scorched earth." I feel like that illustrates the finish on this one pretty well. It's almost as if there's a dirt like quality to this stout (it sounds bad, but it works!).

Mouthfeel: few beers can rival Zhukov's density.. it's borderline chewy. The carbonation level is low, allowing for a smooth mouthfeel.

Overall: I'm really glad I finally got to try this one.. If I were still living in Florida, I would pick up a couple bottles every August when it's released.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2011 07:16:15 | More by BlastBeats

Sean9689

Illinois

4/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to dvelcich for bringing this and the Humidor version.

A - Pours back, mocha-colored head, very thick and viscous.

S - Sweet dark fruits, slight char, burnt sugars, nice level of roast, chocolate. Pretty sweet, sweeter then expect, really. The chocolate and burnt sugars really stand out and create the high level of sweetness.

T - Similar to the nose. Very sweet, chocolate, burnt sugars, char, roast, dark fruits. The alcohol is barley noticeable, which is impressive for such a fresh version and 11.5%. Impressive.

M - Full, rich and viscous, creamy oak finish.

O - A really good RIS. Perhaps a bit too sweet to enjoy in large amounts, but still, very good and enjoyable. Would def have again, if offered. I would like to try a bottle with some age on it to see if the sweetness dies down at all. Very good.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2011 16:47:36 | More by Sean9689