Score: 87
April 2012 vintage bottle served in a Dark Lord snifter and enjoyed on 03/12/14. Bottle number 478 out of 534. Thank you HuskerMike for graciously losing this bottle to me in a post-season baseball wager (go Rays!).
Appearance: Pours an ink black color with a thin layer of tan head that quickly settles to a ring around the glass. Good lacing, excellent retention. Oily legs. 4.75/5
Smell: A ton of maple syrup! Then tiramisu, vanilla, raisin, oak and chocolate. Cognac too, but the nose does not scream cognac like Bourbon Barrel Aged Dark Lord screamed bourbon. The cognac character is a lot more forward than complementary here. As it warms up, the maple falls off. 4.25/5
Taste: Has a cognac flavor and maple flavor upfront that kind of tastes like a muted Utopias, finishing nice and long. Notes of chocolate, raisin and oak too. Light licorice as well. Sadly, as this beer warms up, the maple/molasses character fades out and it develops a vegetal/pepper finish. Wah-wah. 3.25/5
Mouthfeel: Medium-plus bodied, minimal carbonation. Slick, slightly sticky mouthfeel with a dry finish. Has a very mild sweetness. Frankly, this might be the least sweet variation of Dark Lord that I have had to date. 4/5
Overall: Although my initial impression of this beer was pretty positive, its quality nose dived as it warmed up and aerated. While this beer is not nearly as bad as Cognac Barrel Aged Dark Lord De Muerte, the 2011 batch of Dark Lord De Muerte, Moscatel Barrel Aged Dark Lord or Port Barrel Aged Dark Lord, it is far from being an elite beer let alone a top five Barrel Aged Dark Lord variant. My 5 oz pour was sufficient for a lifetime.
Cost: $50 for a 750 ml bottle.
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