This was the newest in their Barrel Aged Series, although the first non-sour beer. The beer is an Imperial Oatmeal Stout that is aged in Gossling Old Rum barrels, weighing in at 10.08%.
You can smell the rum right off the bat, i'm used to this with Bourbon aged stouts, but this was the first time that I have experienced it with rum. There really was a lot going on, expresso/coffee, dark chocholate, and molasses.
The flavor was much of the same, complex and chewy. Again, the rum jumps out at the first sip, then there is a wash of the flavors mentioned above.
At the release, they also had the Un-Oaked version, a version aged in Buffalo Trace Bourbon barrels, and a version aged in Rye Whiskey Barrels. All of them were really good. The un-oaked version made me appreciate what an amazing beer this was all on it's own. Being a bourbon lover, I think that at this point that was my favorite. However, I am curious to see how this beer ages and how the rum flavors meld in with the stout. I think that a year or so will really mellow out the rum and bring this beer into complete harmony. Thank god I bought a 6-pack to lay down in the cellar. Now I just have to make it last!