Beer Review: Bourbon Legend Barleywine

Reviewing the Bourbon Legend Barleywine from Titletown Brewing Company out of Green Bay, Wisconsin. This barleywine has been aged in an Evan Williams bourbon barrel for five years. I forgot to take a photo of the snifter pour I drank, but I did snap a photo of the sampler glass I ordered before hand as part of a flight.
Score: 93

10 oz tap pour served in a snifter glass and enjoyed on 12/13/12.
 
Appearance: Pour a murky, dark apricot-caramel color that has the clarity of melted road slush. Pours a thin head that settles to a pencil thin ring around the glass. Minimal lacing and retention. 1.5/5

Smell: Looks can be deceiving! Molasses, raisins, fig, bourbon and toffee. Caramel and oak too. Light vanilla. Very dark fruit and bourbon-forward. 4.5/5

Taste: Incredibly complex and bold in flavor. Malty caramel and fig upfront, followed by vanilla and bourbon. The finish slaps you with a heavy hand of waffle syrup-esque molasses. Cocoa, leather and toffee. Tons of raisin throughout. Boozy in flavor, but no alcohol cringe. The finish is absolutely divine. This brew is sweet, and gets sweeter as it warms up. At room temperature, the malty sweetness makes it harder to consume in larger quantities. 4.25/5

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with a very low amount of carbonation. Not "Kuhnhenns cabonated," however. Malty, syrupy mouthfeel. A light amount of liveliness fizzles on the tongue from the boozy flavors. 4.25/5

Overall: A shockingly delicious find from one of Wisconsin's finer, but obscurer, breweries. This brew is best enjoyed on the colder side in my opinion, and it's plenty complex to deliver at the colder temperature as well.

Recommendation: Seek this one out if you like boozy, sweet and malty English style barleywines.

Pairing: Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Cost: $5 for a 10 oz snifter pour, $ (or $20 for a 64 oz growler to go, if you bring your own container).