Emelisse White Label Barley Wine (Heaven Hill BA)
4.1
151 reviews
Goes, Netherlands
Community reviews
Cloudy copper color as I did a poor job of keeping the sediment in the bottle. Thin white head that quickly shrank to a bare wisp. This has a welcoming nose of dried fruit, bourbon soaked wood and sweet toffee. For a 15% ABV, this drinks very smoothly. Rich caramel and toffee sweetness with just tons of buttery bourbon and wet barrel notes. Flavors of dried fruit and cherries that have been soaking in a Manhattan. This is a very nice sipping beer.
330ml bottle @ monthly tasting, Chez Sophie, Sep 16, courtesy of myself via monstermagnet. Many thanks! Pours dark, tan head. Aroma is cocoa, bourbon. Taste is layered dark malts, cocoa, bourbon.. brilliantly palate-filling and complex with lots of grainy dark cocoa. Alcohol very well-hidden.
Bottle. It pours cloudy amber with a medium off white head. The aroma is lots of dried fruit and toasted malt. Light bourbon notes. Deep intense malty flavor some alcohol notes. Dried fruity notes. Warming alcoholic finish. A bit too boozy. Light woody. Not much bourbon notes besides of the wood and a whiff of vanilla.
Bottle shared with RichTheVillan thanks to jmgreenuk, cheers John. Ruby amber beer with small head. Aroma is sweet molasses, earthy and grape. Taste is sweet caramel, boozy, some spice and malts. A little oily. Very good.
Bottle from Jmgreenuk cheers John; clear dark chestnut brown pour with a thin tan head, aroma has sweet toffee and red fruits, taste has sweet caramel, some red fruits, a hint of vanilla, big ABV, bourbon.
Bottle
Aroma-alcohol, floral, fruits
Appearance-amber, clear, white foam,
Taste-medium sweetness, medium bitterness, lightly sour,
Palate-full body, thick feel, average carbonation, long finish,
Overall-very good
Pours clear caramel brown with a minute brown head which immediately recedes. Aroma is caramel, toffee, oak. Taste is caramel sweet, vanilla sweet, bourbon, oak. slightly boozy.
(330ml bottle from saveur-biere.com) Pours deep ruby with a small lasting fine white head and lace, some floaty sediment. Aroma is layers of malt and barrel, with butterscotch fudge, coconut, light vanilla, wood, caramel, dried fruits and even berries, lightly toasted bread and a bit of bourbon itself. Flavour is rather sweet and equally layered, quite fruity with layers of caramel, vanilla, figs, berry preserves, vanilla, bourbon, wood, a bit spicy towards the finish with clear alcoholic warmth. Much bourbon character in the finish and dry aftertaste. Medium full and a bit oily with very low carbonation. For sure this is pretty barrel-dominated, but I felt like the various components were nuanced rather than appearing in a rough punch to the tongue. Accomplished. Slow slow sipper though.
This barley wine is loaded up with barrel favor. Caramel, pepper, bread flavors. Still a lot of alcohol heat.
Bottle from ABC Beers. Poured a hazy medium amber with a bubbly broken white head. The aroma is sweet toffee caramel malt. The flavour is moderate to strong sweet with a big, oily, sugary sweet, alcoholic liqourice palate. Super strong but the alcohol is nicely in the background. Awesome.
Bottle from the super pricey oak barrel. Pours hazy amber with an off white head. Bourbon nose, with a bit of malt, candy, caramel and vanilla.
Full bodied, rich, palate, slick texture and soft carbonation. Sugar sweet on tasting and on finish which lingers. Hides abv quite well, but extreme sweetness is the lasting impression and it is too much. Could do with a bit more of a bitter balance. Was expecting great things, but it’s king of mmah... Nah, this excessive sweetness is twisting my melon
Very tasty beer , this time i will only point out the slightly negative side. Being 15% and overly sweet somewhat blocking hte complexity of the flavours that this might have. I would also prefer a bit more acidity that balances that very sweet burnt sugar taste. The bourbon quality is just fine. this reminds me of Backwoods bastard( which is a scotch, with less ABV) and Sucaba, not better than these two, but also not worse.
33 cl bottle. BBE 12/2020.
Pours clear mahogany color with a very small head. Aroma is sweet caramel-syrup-malt-ripe_fruit mesh, some alcohol comes through, no surprise. Flavor is sweet and surprisingly pleasant, ripe fruits, caramel, some toffee too, subtle alcohol dryness and vanilla. Very pleasant and quaffable considering the alcohol content. Excellent.
5325
Bottle 0.33l at Laiti’s, Helsinki. BBE 12/2016. Colour is clear orange with very small white head. Aromas and flavors: Dry fruits, raisins, bourbon, some alcohol and malts. Warming.
33 cl bottle @ home, BBE 12/2015
Aroma has alcohol, fruit candy, vanilla and bourbon-like sweetness. Flavour has woody tones, toffee, caramel, alcohol and peat. Alcohol is present but just cuts the sweetness and warms nicely. Drinking a whole bottle would take a two-hour movie; drinkability is not that great and sweetness takes over after a couple of sips.
330ml bottle from Beergium. Pours dark reddish orange with a smooth head. Aroma of warming alcohol, bourbon, vanilla, oak, berries, toffee, pine, resin, and caramely malts. Taste is smooth, malty and caramely with loads of bourbon, vanilla, oak, toffee, pine, resin and hints of syrup. Finish is smooth, caramely malty and oaky with loads of bourbon, vanilla, toffee and hints of warming alcohol. Pretty balanced and tasty bourbony barley wine.
330 ml bottle. Pours an amber colour with a small foamy head. Aroma of toasted malts, syrup and buttery oakiness. Flavour of sweet toasted malts, sticky syrupy notes, some bitterness, butter, oak, bourbon sweetness and grass. Full bodied and oily mouthfeel. Sticky, sweet and rich. Great.
Bottle 330ml.
[ As Emelisse White Label Barley Wine (Heaven Hill BA) ].
Clear medium amber color with a small, fizzy, fair lacing, mostly diminishing, off-white head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, bread, caramel, dried fruit - candy, vanilla, alcohol. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and bitter with a long duration, alcohol, candy, vanilla, buzzy, figs, dried fruit, caramel. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft to flat, finish feel is light alcoholic. [20160422]
Bottle thanks to Bursprak. Pours a medium clear brown with a small, white head. Aroma has bourbon-vanilla-booze, lots of dark, dried fruits, light buttery toffee/fudge. Taste is sweet, fudgy, light fruity fig-acidity, smooth, buttery, slightly boozy finish. Average carbonation and a sticky body.
Bottle at home. Pours an intriguing amber, chestnut brown colour, cloudy, foamy beige head that leaves a nice lacing. Vanilla, cask, bourbon, caramel malts in the nose. Taste is full bodied, sweet malty, milky coffee, caramel, butterscotch, coconut, velvety vanilla and bourbon tones, beautiful alcoholic warmth in the finish. Exceptional balance, especially considering the high abv. Absent-low carbonation, oily to sticky mouthfeel. Best Dutch brew?
Bottle, 15%. Unclear amber with tiny head. Aroma is malt, dark fruit, caramel, toasted, oak, wood, bourbon and a little vanilla. Flavour is malt, caramel, wood, oak, coconut, bourbon, vanilla, sweet, dark fruit, toasted, hop, warning, notes of alcohol and a little bitter.
Bottle @ Home. Pours hazy amber with an offwhite head. Aroma of rich sweet malt, caramel, vanilla, wood, light coconut, sweet dried fruit, light bourbon, some alcohol. Flavor is rather sweet, rich malty, caramel, vanilla, wood, oak, bourbon, light coconut, dried fruit, booze. Medium to full body, soft carbonation, sweet finish with loads of warming alcohol. For a 15% ABV beer this is fairly easy to drink. 230416
Bottle. Nice head with good duration. Color is amber. Aroma and taste are nice bourbon, fruits, caramel, candy sugar, malt and hops. Sweet fruity finish.
Bottle @ Aarhus tasting. Hazy amber with a small off-white head. Aroma is sweet, malty, heavy caramel, dried fruit, wood and alcohol. Flavor is very sweet and rather bitter. Sweet and rather bitter finish with heavy alcohol. Oily. 220416
Je proeft dat het een goede barley is die als basis dient voor dit bier, maar ik vind hem gewoon veel en veel te alcoholisch. Er zit een duidelijke whiskey smaak aan, daar moet je van houden. Maar ik heb uiteindelijk niet het idee dat ik bier aan het drinken ben.
Bottle, thanks to rekvium. Hazy red amber with a small white head. Classic vinous BA barleywine aroma of malt, caramel, vanilla, and dried fruit. Sweet malty flavour with caramel and vanilla notes, and a faint yeasty touch.
At a tasting, many thanks, almost no head, clear dark red to brown color, aroma of bread , strawberry jam, dried fruits and gentle oxidised notes, flavor of dried fruits, brown bread and wood with a hint of vanila and spicy tinge behind it all, quite sweet but really mellow. Ar really good barley wine.
Bottle sample at a tasting at Max’s place. Thanks Vova. Nice clear amber with a beige head. Great aroma of bourbon, vanilla, coconut, malt, caramel, cookies, a bit of fruitiness, and a bit of booziness. Sweet flavor with malt, caramel, vanilla, bourbon, coconut, cookies, and a bit of booziness. Medium-bodied, slightly boozy. Great stuff.
Bottle thanks to Nikos. Pours hazy orange hazel, small beige head, decent lacing. Aroma is bourbon, caramel, dark sugars, vanilla. Flavor is fully sweet, light bitter, loads of bourbon, caramel, toffee, vanilla, marshmallow. Medium body, creamy mouthfeel. Decadent.
Late rating, bottle kindly shared by Werckmeister at Vienna tasting. Brown color with small off white head. Big aroma of toffee, caramel, figs, dried fruit and light vanilla. Just a little bit boozy taste with dried fruit, figs, vanilla and toffee. Lightly boozy finish with warming alcohol. Excellent barley wine.