Victory Oak Horizontal

Victory Oak Horizontal is the Bourbon Barrel aged version of Old Horizontal Barleywine.

The aroma of this is pretty typical for the style, but where is the bourbon? It smells boozy, but no bourbon is specifically popping out for me. Oddly the bourbon hits the palate big time. Tasting some good barleywine like caramel, bourbon, dry oak, and some vanilla to start. What follows that is a large dose of grain alcohol, some intensely spicy hops and more sweet caramel. So many things I like in a barleywine here, but there is just too much booze in the taste for me.

I have to wonder if some considerable age would resolve that, but with as many barleywines already in my cellar I can’t see buying another one to age. This would be a good one to stock up on if you like a big boozy sipper for a night cap!