First sip is very heavy and rich like an after dinner liquor with a fancy label and too much sugar used in its making. It's laden with oak and sweetness on top of a kind of crème brûlée. The sweet crackling top is there, but the milky cream isn't actually underneath. Instead, that oak runs deep.
Tip-in is the oak, molasses, raisins, and sweetness. It's an inviting start that leads into the middle of rough scraping of carbonation on the top of the mouth, and under it is more of the molasses and dark fruits. The finish is a slap of bitterness without any sign of hops, really. It's all overpowered by the sugar, molasses, and oak.
Bottom Line: Definitely different than others, but different isn't always better.
2.25/5