Aroma: “Whiskey and oak are dominant up front with lots of vanilla and spicy oak. There’s a nice rich malt along with toast and caramel behind that, which helps balance the initial intense aroma. After the initial blast, there is a moderately low chocolate aroma as well.”

Flavor: “The flavor is still barrel-

forward, but the malt helps balance it a bit more. Aged chocolate-covered cherries soaked in bourbon, raisins, warming spicy alcohol. Alcohol lingers pleasantly into the finish.”

Overall: “It is what it says it is. The barrel is maybe a bit over the top, but the beer is still there. It’s warming but not too boozy. Tasty beer to sip near a campfire.”