022020 Distraction
American Solera

Glossy solid black with a short tan head that quickly dies to a thin ring.

Though there is no added vanilla, the viscous body exhibits quite the vanilla profile, along with a bourbon bite and a toasty finish.

 

 

No bottling date (released in mid-4/2021, so presumably bottled in that timeframe); consumed on 11/1/21

Pours a viscous midnight-black body crawling into the glass sporting a slowly forming finger of rich, dark mocha foam; sub-par head retention yields a few paper-thin islands of cap hovering over the void, as a creamy, moderate collar encircles and no lacing clings to the walls of the glass.

Aroma brings fresh, almost earthy bakers chocolate and nougat-like cocoa nibs to the forefront, sporting raisin accents and softening with vanilla toward the middle of the bouquet; prickly oak sensations then evolve to more resounding whiskey overtones as a healthy second wind of barrel char embraces burnt vanilla through the close.

Taste opens with rich milk chocolate, bits of bourbon interspersed, counterbalancing subtle undertones of burnt black licorice as a charry malt profile builds; the mid-palate sees cherry-tinged cocoa and hints of toasted walnut atop a subtle barrel presence, with warm dark cacao and vanilla intermingling on the finish.

Mouthfeel offers a full body with touches of subdued, spritzy carbonation peeking through the dense, creamy consistency, cut only by a boozy punch past the mid-palate and maintaining an increasingly overbearing richness; slickly smooth char glistens into the back end, inviting a pillowy alcohol warmth as the finish dries behind an ever-present sticky undertone.

Decadent in form from an incredibly viscous base, the barrels serve well as a proper foil to the weighty, pseudo-saccharine overlay, with a bristling char combining for a more layered and defined malt depth for a deceptively palatable end result.