Putin Jack
Parker's Hilltop Brewery

32 ounce crowler into snifter, filled on 3/3/2019. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1 finger dense and rocky khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, toasted oak, roasted nuts, and dark/brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of coconut, molasses, licorice, raisin, fig, date, smoke, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toast/oak earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/black/roast/bready malt, bourbon barrel, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast notes; with great strength. Taste of huge milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, toasted oak, roasted nuts, and dark/brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of coconut, molasses, licorice, raisin, fig, date, smoke, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toast/oak earthiness. Mild pine, herbal, floral, grassy, peppery, roast, char bitterness; and bourbon/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, toasted oak, roasted nuts, dark/brown bread/crust, coconut, molasses, licorice, dark fruit, light smoke/char, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toast/oak earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malt, bourbon barrel, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; with a nice roast/hop bitter/sweet, and bourbon/oak spiciness balance; with no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering hop/roast bitterness and bourbon/oak spiciness. Medium carbonation and fairly full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/velvety/bready, and lightly sticky/chalky/tannic mouthfeel that is fantastic. Minimal warming alcohol for 9.7%, with no barrel booziness lingering after the finish. Overall this is a fantastic barrel aged Russian imperial stout! All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malt, bourbon barrel, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to drink for the big ABV, with the mildly bitter/tannic/drying finish; amazingly soft feel. Perfectly balanced rich malts and Jack Daniels barrel presence/integration; with solid earthy hop presence/balance, and fruity yeast notes. Not overly sweet/heavy from lingering dryness. Liked this just a bit more than the base beer. A lot smoother, silkier, and more mellowed out on the hop/char bitter character from the barrel aging. A highly enjoyable offering, and spot on style example.