UPDATED: DEC 30, 2021 Bottle pours black with some nice beige head. Sweet chocolate cake, bourbon, oak aromas. Initially it's a wonderful classic stout, malty, roasted nuts and streak of bitterness (like dark chocolate). Then hints of vanilla and bourbon make their way in. What I love about this is how drinkable and unabrasive it is, while still being bold and strong (9.5%). Allagash is something else. They're consistently one of the best breweries in the US.

UPDATED: DEC 28, 2021 12 ounce bottle from Wine Cellar Depere, 12/27/21. 18.9k!!! Very dark brown, thin creamy tan head, good retention. Aroma of chocolate, roast, plum, clay, vanilla. Taste is roast, plum, chocolate, vanilla, mild whiskey, dark cherry. A bit thin for the style. Well balanced, mild barrel character. Very nice.

UPDATED: DEC 22, 2021 12oz bottle from Craft Beer Cellar in Pewaukee. Very dark brown pour. Aroma has some roast, plus sweet malts, ash, and vanilla. Taste is very vanilla-y, with sweet malts, and ash. Maybe medium bodied. The vanilla overlays everything, to the net detriment. Sweet finish. 13.6

UPDATED: DEC 19, 2021 Pours an opaque dark brown with a small tan head. Aroma of roasted malts. Medium body, slightly oily texture. Smooth with lots of oaky flavor, roasted malts and hints of coffee, chocolate, sweet Bourbon and vanilla. Feels thin for a stout. OK but nothing special. Hides the alcohol well. Tastes more like an imperial brown ale than a stout.

UPDATED: DEC 12, 2021 12 oz. bottle from D's Bottle Shop, Raleigh, NC (bottled August 25, 2021). Cola-like brown pour with a frothy tan head. Aroma of dark chocolate and vanilla bean with faint notes of coconut. Taste features roasted coffee, anise, oak, and subtle vanilla notes. Mouthfeel is surprisingly thin. Just ok for what it is and a disappointment compared to the description.

UPDATED: NOV 21, 2021 Pours ebony into a snifter. Mocha head with excellent retention recedes leaving sheet lacing. Dark chocolate, pit fruit and licorice aromas. Slick with sweet licorice, milk chocolate and sweet vanilla upfront turning to charred espresso in the lasting finish.

UPDATED: NOV 20, 2021 From a 12 fl. oz. bottle. Rare these days. Dark brown to near black pour under a tan head. Aroma: Dark roasted malts, char or burnt characteristics, and earth. The taste is lovely with its crackery and dark roasted malt sweetness. Not picking up booze in either the aroma or the taste. I found this to be easy drinking.

UPDATED: NOV 15, 2021 Bottled 8/25/21 drunk 11/15/21. Clear mahogany with darker ebony notes and cola highlights. Small but fairly persistent, dark beige head. Spicy bourbon with light herbal notes some toast, vanilla and light chocolate. Smells strong but not sharp/boozy. Not overdone on the barrel. Lightly sweet, a bit lighter bodied than expected but with a mild, but flavorful chocolate and roast character that complements the very light bourbon nicely. Still, there's a light vegetal element, or maybe it's just lightly oxidized dark malt, that I don't love. It's also a bit light for its size - I'd definitely appreciate significantly more comforting/substantial malt texture/character.

UPDATED: NOV 13, 2021 12 ounce bottle - $5.29 at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia. Bottled On: 08/26/21. Appearance: Pours a very dark brown body with an instantly evaporating head. Smell: Spiced dark fruits, juiced vanilla pods, chocolate flavoring (less of a taste of chocolate and more akin to a flavoring within a small plastic bottle), the bourbon character is most reserved, here. Taste: Roasty, toasty, though the maltiness and its flavors seems pretty muted. Subtly sweet. Chilled dark fruitiness and glug of black cherry cola. Teeny tiny pinch of Chinese five spice. Understated vanilla, virtually absent bourbon character. Its Belgian yeast qualities, also mild, are sustained though the gentle, smooth finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium-soft carbonation. A little bit of stickiness. Overall: Not at all unpleasant, it's just that so many of its aspects are

UPDATED: NOV 12, 2021 Pours clear, dark mahogany with a thin, tan head. Aroma is vanilla, bourbon, roast and cocoa. Taste is chocolate, moving to roast and vanilla. Finish is chocolate, roast, vanilla and bourbon.