Viscosity
Tamarack Brewing Company

my first beer from these guys is a total winner, one of the better barleywines i have had in some time. its deep mahogany in color with a patiently rising white head over the thick almost liquid caramel looking base, bubbly for the style. this is aged in bourbon barrels, and i get a lot of that on the nose right away, sweet corny whiskey, mature and woody, and a lot of vanilla and honey with it. there is more sweetness too, toffee and long boiled crystal malts, concentrated and cooked and desserty but also well refined and fancy to me. i smell maple and brandy too, light autumn spice, and some warming alcohol for sure at this strength. its only slightly oxidized, but i always kind of like that in this style. the flavor is awesome, its really rich and sweet, but it has a ton of character, with vanilla leading the way, cornbread, english toffee, brown sugar, butter, fresh split lumber, brown cardboard, mild cherry and golden raisin, heavy bourbon, its great, its layered, its interesting, and its professionally done. the maturity is awesome, the malt jus ever so slightly stale and the whiskey so strong, this clearly spent quite a bit of time in the barrels. smooth to drink for being so strong and sweet, and i find myself not really being satiated after just a small glass, i am wanting more, uncommon for me with beers like this. i think overall this is exceptional barleywine, great use of the barrels and nice complexity built in. yum!