Vintage Nectar
3 Sons Brewing Company

 

Look: It pours very dark brown with virtually no head although was littler there was is dark brown.

Smell: It has strong aromas of roast and alcohol. There are also strong bourbon notes with chocolate notes. There are hints of dark fruits in the background.

Taste: There is a bittersweet flavor up front with roast and bourbon being the highlight with molasses. There are some plum notes in support with chocolate. There are slight burnt elements well into the background.

Feel: It is quite thick and on the chewy side. It is bittersweet from start to finish. Considering the strength of the beer is has quite pleasant alcohol warming.

Overall: There are many good flavors and complex blends with this beer. The strength is deceptive since they did support a good job with the alcohol warming.

2025 version (barreled in 2023). Poured cold to a mini-snifter. Aroma reminds me of pear brandy, but not quite. It’s a little bitter initially with a wet-wood sweetness, and a residual sort of hoppiness on the finish. Intense viscosity, coating the glass top to surface. Three barrel cuvée (Buffalo Trace, Stagg Jr, Wild Turkey) portends greatness, though it clearly needs time to breathe against all the heaviness and cold. None of the barrels comes out as the fore-runner, but rather they make an interesting kaleidoscope of elemental fragments and new flavors. ABV is monstrous, and hits fast.

 

 

 

2021 vintage:

Pours thick as motor oil. Very good head production, but retention is mediocre; no lacing.

Huge bourbon-forward aroma, rich and slightly intimidating. Red grape, cherry, espresso, caramel, molasses, and oak round out the profile.

Flavor follows. The bourbon influence is massive, but it blends superbly with the rich semi-sweet base stout. Notes of syrup, brown sugar, espresso, chocolate, caramel, vanilla, port wine, toast. It's nothing more complex than a BBA imperial stout - nothing added, nothing crazy - but it's an incredible BBA imperial stout.

Super thick and nearly chewy; easy to sip and savor, despite the sky high ABV and lengthy barrel aging. Superb.

Bourbon County Brand Stout set the bar for BBA imperial stouts. In the literal decades since, the art (and science) of aging huge, rich stouts in equally rich spirits barrels has advanced tremendously, to a point that the very best of the best have a chance of surpassing the king. This is one such beer. It's sublime, without any noticeable flaw, massive, rich, decadent, and incredibly rewarding.

2020 Vintage update:

Not quite as thick; certainly not as chewy. Quite hot on the palate. Head retention is poor.

Not quite as rich on the palate, although overall tasting notes are very, very similar. I can only realistically attribute the major differences to day-to-day palate variation, the difference between Widow Jane and Old Fitzgerald barrels, and any variation due to the aging and blending processes that might have introduced more oxygen.

Overall, a fantastic beer, but my ratings would be more aligned with 3.25 / 4.0 / 4.5 / 4.25 /4.25, at best. We're talking a sub-4.5 beer (>4.0), as opposed to the 2021 edition, which is simply sublime.

 

2020 bottle cellared 3 years. Black like the darkness of the abyss, no head. Bourbon backs all in the nose: caramel, molasses, dark wood, slight creme brulee and cocoa. Taste is walloped by huge bourbon, crazy since this has been cellared for years, wood and chocolate malt poke through faintly. Feel is not as hot as it tastes, malty and warm for sure, oak textures are not the most developed but are there, not unwieldy with the weight which is appreciated

 

 

375ml bottle.
Literally looks and pours like used motor oil, black with some brown/tan foam.
Smell the burnt sugar. Caramel?
Mouthfeel is thick as mud, foamy? Thickest beer I’ve ever sampled.
Taste is too sweet, heavy molasses with hints of chocolate, coffee
Strong! Sip with salty food.
Really strong and sweet flavor. Tastes like blackstrap molasses. 14.5% ABV
Different kind of beer, not for chugging!
Flavorful. Winter sipping?