Boulevard Bourbon Barrel Quad (BBQ)

Last year I finally decided to try this beer after reading some reviews on it. For some reason I always assumed that the BBQ meant that it must have been a smoked beer, which is my least favorite style, so I had always avoided it. It quickly became one of my favorites, and I drank it throughout the winter. I bought up 3 bottles near the end of the season and decided to cellar them to see how they'd age.

Fresh, I find this beer to be very similar to Allagash Curieux, another favorite, but with a slight hint of cherries and sourness, that's masked by oak and boozy bourbon flavors. Having just opened one the other day, the bourbon flavors have mellowed out, but the tartness and pleasant cherry flavors have been replaced with an artificial cherry cough medicine after taste. I'm curious if others have experienced this, and whether giving these more time will help that taste subside or if it would get worse. Shame on me for waiting 9+ months to try it but oh well.