Ralphius - Two Year Double Barrel (Maker’s Mark and Blanton’s)
Free Will Brewing Co.

I am sampling a 2022 bottle at cellar temp and pouring into my snifter. received in part of a trade from the brewery release event. Bottle has been in my cellar since arrival at my house.
the beer pours a rich black coffee color with no light passing through the glass. A thin creamy tan head of .5 cm foams up and fades to a thin edging that remains on my glass throughout the sampling. While I dont get any real lattice from the beer I do get some sort of red wine legs on the glass.
Aroma is dark chocolate fudge, hints of bourbon, a little vanilla and some fusol booziness. No hop character on the nose. Beer smells like a bourbon barrel aged imperial stout.
First sip reveals a medium body with very smooth texture. Almost no carbonation and what there is features a very soft feel gently rolling across my palate. I do get some coating on my lips and mouth after each sip, this reveals the bigger body of the beer.
Flavor is similar to the nose advertisements. I get dark chocolate fudge mixing with vanilla and some rich bourbon notes and peppery booze bite and a lot of warming on the swallow. Beer drinks pretty easy except for the heat on the swallow.
I really enjoyed sipping this one over the course of two hours. Really wish I had another bottle.

Opens with an audible pffft and pours pretty close to matte black with a half finger of bubbly, dark mocha head that quickly dissipates into a lasting crown.

Sweet, complex bourbon in the nose with vanilla, almond, shortbread, amaretto, cherry and some distant baker’s chocolate, along with occasional whiffs of straight alcohol.

Plenty of alcohol heat in the taste. The sweetness to the bourbon is harder to pick out here, as much cherry- or cherry cola-forward as anything, but also with strong vanilla. That’s layered over a chocolatey base that’s less bitter than the aroma.

Medium bodied, slightly sticky feel with tight carbonation.

There’s lots of barrel complexity here and tons of heat. Definitely a lot sweeter than some other variants. My first 2022 bottle and it doesn’t disappoint.