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Winter has arrived, bringing with it not only snow, cold, and muddy roads, but also a reason to enjoy a good dark beer.

Russian Imperial Stout from Jaws Brewery
Bitterness 80 (which is quite a lot), alcohol content 10.5% (a little low for an Imperial Stout).
The stout immediately surprises with its aroma: many wine notes, a hint of sourness, cranberries, and less noticeable dark berries – this is straight from the bottle. In the glass, the aroma becomes more diffuse, the sourness fades, and you can feel notes of smoke and burnt malt. It's a bit alcoholic, which is a clear drawback given its strength.
The taste is pleasant, but not spectacular. Very malty, smoky, and not very strong or hoppy. Licorice and molasses are probably "phantom" flavors against the overall bitter background. The stout is moderately bitter, but you can feel that it's over-roasted. In the finish, it gives notes of black coffee, the same burnt malt, and... St. John's Wort. Honestly, there are notes of St. John's Wort in the finish. I thought for a long time about what this strange taste was, and when I remembered this taste experience from my childhood, I knew for sure – that's it. Well, okay.
It lacks a bit of the stout's density and viscosity. The foam is almost non-existent. This is a negative.
As you can understand, with so many drawbacks, it doesn't really resemble a masterpiece from the world of brewing, and you have to pay a decent price for it. Even taking into account that the price has long ceased to affect my final rating, this stout will only get 7/10.

Russian Imperial Stout Barrel 5 from KONIX Brewery

Bitterness 40, alcohol content 14.1% (not bad at all)
After Stout Barrel Wine, I tend to trust Konix, at least when it comes to stout.
Perfectly balanced, very dense and strong – but this strength does not have any negative impact on drinkability and aroma.
Nose: dried fruits (raisins, figs, prunes), coffee, chocolate, caramel, possibly almonds, a little hops.
Taste: very easy to drink, candied fruits, cashews, chocolate, malt slightly prevails over hops.
Finish: reminiscent of wine, with fermentation aromas. Caramel, nuts, and fruit are complemented by a light creaminess.
Excellent stout, even better than Barrel Wine – as far as I remember, that one was too dry. You can spend a long time exploring it, searching for new taste and aromatic notes, but honestly, I didn't feel like doing that – it’s just too delicious and easy to drink; there isn't much room for analysis here. 9/10, highly recommend. Probably, I won't buy stouts from other breweries anymore, except for Konix and Victory Art Brew.

Russian Imperial Stout Barrel Whisky from KONIX Brewery

Bitterness 40, alcohol content 12.5%
Aged in a barrel from Chivas Regal (I haven't tried it, but I disapprove. I disapprove of Chivas, not the aging process).
Nose: very smooth. Apple, pear, grains, cream.
Taste: smooth, but somewhat bland. Sour-sweet. Both hops and malt are subtly expressed. Grainy and fruity notes, coffee with milk, slight alcoholic aftertaste. The finish is very weak; there isn't much to say about it.
It's a decent beer, but too unremarkable. I didn't notice any of the cloying sweetness that I was so afraid of. It's less strong than the previous sample, but at the same time more alcoholic – an obvious drawback. 7.5/10.

Hot rum with butter
Besides rum and butter, it also contains juice, syrup, lime, honey, cinnamon, and Turkish delight. Sweet, hot, and very tasty – perfect for winter, it will warm you up in a way that even the most passionate beauty couldn't, although how would I know... In short, it is highly recommended if they make it, 9/10

Added 41 minutes later
Rusty Nail
To be honest, as a big fan of Scotch and honey, I expected a masterpiece, but I got just a decent, strong cocktail. They mixed 2 whiskeys to 1 liqueur – you can use more whiskey, at a 2:1 ratio, the cocktail is sweeter than I would like. In general, it's at the level of "The Godfather." It's a shame that "Kraken" doesn't make it.
9/10

Butterfly Ridge -- Riesling Gewurztraminer
Honestly, seeing "South Australia" and a screw cap instead of a cork, I was already prepared for the worst. Not to mention that I was about to drink Riesling in winter. And I don't really like Riesling (at least, not based on what I've tried before). In fact, I initially ordered a Chianti – I often drink it because, first, it has consistently good quality, second, it doesn't need a long aging process, and third, I like its violet flavor. But one bottle would clearly not be enough, even without snacks, and of all the options, only the Riesling caught my eye, and it seemed like a good idea to start with a white wine.
Semi-dry, 12%
Vintage 2016
Light-bodied
Aroma: green apples, hay, cardamom, a hint of sweetness of meadow flowers
Taste: diverse herbal notes, unripe pear, citrus, excellent balance of acidity, very drinkable and fresh. Although I generally prefer dry wines, this slight sweetness is a plus – otherwise, it might be too acidic.
76/100, a good table wine and even a little more.

Added 28 minutes later

Hmm, I guess I overrated it after all. After half a bottle, it becomes monotonous, which doesn't happen with truly good wines – you could drink those by the barrel and not get tired of them. It's still a bit lacking.

Come On Baby Light My Fire by Plan B

Fortress 15% (!), bitterness not specified, I would give it about 90-100
The aroma is rich, even a little sharp and atypical for an imperial stout – fruity, berry, and slightly fermented aromas dominate, while the classic notes of coffee and burnt malt are in the background.
The taste is also quite sharp and fermented. The beer is really biting: it is very bitter and leaves a spirituous aftertaste – well, of course, 15%, this is almost the level of port wine. There are many hoppy notes in the taste, smoke, smokiness, malt, bitter chocolate, slightly sour.
So, what do we have? Bitter, spirituous, and also sour... Excellent! The charming allure of harsh classics. No softening barrel aging. No additives. No cloying sweetness. A good beer with a masculine character, each sip of which is an adventure. The price is reasonable. I wouldn't say that the beer is better than Koniks 5, but sometimes you just want something like this. 9/10.

Added 2 hours and 4 minutes ago
Eclipse from the Bakunin brewery

Bitterness 60, strength 12?
"Damn, I asked for beer, not cocoa!" – that was my first thought when I opened the can. But let's go through everything in order.
Nose: rather pale in the glass. Cocoa, sweetness, a little coconut, and very little malt.
Taste: now it's more like chocolate or even coffee with milk, rather than cocoa. In the background – malt and other cereal notes, a little coconut. Slightly bitter in the finish, but overall – very smooth and sweet without being cloying.
In total: very good, very unusual, but it gets boring quickly. It's hardly worth taking more than one can at a time. Not as sweet and coconutty as "Second Personality," closer to the classics. In general, the stout is good, but it's, let's say, for a special occasion. 8.5/10

Legendario Dorado (Cuban rum)

It seems a bit faded, but that's okay.
Nose: vanilla, cinnamon, berry notes, a hint of cedar
Taste: vanilla, molasses. Not complex, very drinkable, sweet, but within reasonable limits. Light-bodied. Woody finish.
Good for its price. 8/10.

Added 1 hour ago
Brugal 1888

Nose: very noble. Against the backdrop of dark caramel, aromas of cane sugar, coriander and other spices, roasted nuts
Taste: bright, tart, slightly acidic, apples, plums, maple syrup, spices
Finish: long and dry, woody notes and a hint of cloves

Not the smoothest, obviously, it didn't mature in the barrel for too long, but still a very worthy rum with character. Definitely worth trying for anyone who wants to learn more about rum. 86/100
P.S.: This doesn't mean it's six hundredths better than the previous one. For drinks with a complex bouquet, I use a 100-point system, and for simpler drinks, I use the usual 10-point system, where everything is decided by the overall impression.

Added 56 minutes ago
Botucal Reserva Exclusiva

Full-bodied and very dark – probably colored.
Nose: red tea, cream, berry jam
Taste: cloying, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, raisins.
Finish is not long, with notes of dried fruits and spices.
82/100. Too sweet.

At this rate, you won't reach 30.

Lol.

Alex, 22:38
I think I've finally drank and smoked myself into having digestive problems.

Alex, 22:38
Not that I'm particularly worried about it, I probably won't even make it to 30 anyway.

Basically, I don't feel like going into too much detail, but someone has to keep this thread going. Count's Grog Boil water in a saucepan. Add sugar – enough to make it sweet, but not too sweet. Then add tea. After about 5 minutes, add cardamom and cinnamon. A little pepper wouldn't hurt either, but I usually forget about it. Boil for another couple of minutes and strain into a glass with Templar rum, a slice of apple, and a cinnamon stick. The rum should make up between one-fifth and one-third of the glass. Squeeze in a quarter of a lemon. The result is a sweet and spicy concoction. It's easy to drink, has a noticeable effect, and warms you up nicely. In reality, it's much better than what is usually served in bars as grog. Recommended for winter.

Added 21 minutes later
"Good enough" – an author's variation of the "Trophy" cocktail. When there's no lemon juice left, and you're already quite tipsy, you get this. Squeeze a little less than a third of a lemon into a glass with ice, pour in orange juice "by eye," add powdered sugar (as much as you like), and about 60 ml of Templar rum. Stir with a teaspoon, strain into a wine glass, garnish with an orange slice, and sprinkle with ground cinnamon on top. The result is very good: it has citrus, sweetness, cinnamon, and the rum is quite noticeable, but due to the low temperature, the cocktail is smooth and easy to drink, while also being rich and extremely flavorful. Good/10

Added 1 hour 3 minutes later
Ah, I wanted to make my author's cocktail "Drunken Master" again, but there's no lemon left... It should contain rum, balm, dry Georgian wine, pineapple juice, fresh lemon juice, powdered sugar, and ice. I'll leave it here so I don't forget.

I was at the Elite Spirits festival on Saturday. Since the festival is 21+, I had the pleasure of watching an ex-classmate fail the face control and quickly retreat from our adult party at the entrance. Although, in reality, there's nothing good about it – unlike me, he looks his age.
I'll give my overall impression of the event later, but for now, I'll start gradually processing my notes. I'll just say that it was very noisy and crowded, so the atmosphere wasn't conducive to detailed descriptions. I even often forgot to give ratings.
I started with whiskey because, without a doubt, Scotch is my favorite strong drink, and I even planned to stick to it, but the selection turned out to be too limited.

Kensei

Nose: sharp, caramel, barely noticeable dark honey, and definitely – the spirit of a bourbon barrel
Taste: watery, caramel, a little nutty
Overall: water is water, to be honest. There isn't even a finish. Due to its drinkability, it's still better than most blends, but not for its price.
71/100

After such a dubious debut, I made a strategic decision to redeploy and unleash my forces on an opponent with whom I had long wanted to clash in every sense, but couldn't find a suitable opportunity – on port wine. I'm almost completely unfamiliar with fortified wines, but, by the way, my first alcoholic drink was kosher wine. So...

Andresen Fine White

Nose: sweet, raisins, a little field herbs, a little honey
Taste: raisin-honey, very sweet
Interesting. Strong and sweet, like a dream on a hot summer day. I don't know about the price, but it would be nice to have a bottle in the bar – at least as a dessert.

Andresen Century 10

Nose: slight alcohol, grape pomace, walnuts
Taste: medium sweetness, plum, grapes, woody finish
This is already more complex, more interesting, more refined. It lacks a little complexity, and it would be a little drier – I would then even pair it with cigars. In general, it's quite decent, but not excellent.

Andresen 2003

Nose: close to cognac, dates, nuts, maybe cedar
Taste: strong, slightly sweet, a slight acidity, fruits and dried fruits
Finish: cedar nuts, musk (??? quite strange, I'm not even sure now)
Powerful, good stuff. All port wines have a bright taste, but this one stands out even among its peers. It's a little heavy to drink, but that's a good thing. It also has a pleasant color. I wouldn't say it's completely amazing, but in any case, it's good that I got my hands on it – you have to grab all the limited editions at such events, otherwise you might never encounter them again.
In general, port wine is fun, but it's not quite clear when to drink it, except at the end of a meal. And if you're going to drink port wine with cigars, you need to try to find a dry one.

Added 27 minutes ago
We're finishing with port wine and moving on to the main object of interest
The Balvenie Double Wood 12 y.o.

+- light-bodied
Nose: sweet, anise, grape pomace, molasses, oak, cinnamon
Taste: I didn't understand. It seems like honey and spices. More or less soft, but burning
Finish: light, malty-woody
Let's say 77/100. It's just not for me. Some people really like it, but I don't. I checked the region – well, of course, Speyside, who would doubt it. I guess I'm allergic to Speyside.

The Balvenie Carribean Cask 14 y.o.

Medium-bodied
Nose: caramel, vanilla, hay, cardamom, slightly alcoholic, acetone, bourbon tones +
Taste: beans, vanilla, spices +
Finish: musk, nuts, quite powerful
The plus is the flavors, very similar to Old Monk rum, which I am a devoted fan of, albeit not a passionate one. I don't remember how I rated it, it seems to be better than the 12-year-old, but I finished the glass with some effort. NOT MINE.

Deanston Virgin Oak

I don't remember, maybe Virgin Oak, but maybe 12?
Quite dense
Nose: field flowers, pears, pine needles, apples. A little harsh, but not alcoholic
Taste: drinkable, apples, melon, other fruits, spices
Finish: soft, enveloping. Plum
Simple, but pleasant. It will be a little over 80, probably.

Added 30 minutes ago
Benromach 10 y.o.

Full-bodied
Nose: peat, smoke, iodine, hay, slight caramel sweetness
Taste: herbaceous-peaty <illegible scribbles>
Finish: iodine, animal notes
This is very good. It's a shame that I didn't write a proper note, this was the first whiskey that I really liked at the festival. And what about Speyside – don't believe your eyes, the taste is in the best traditions of Islay, only a little milder. 85/100

Bunnahabhain 11 y.o.

Full-bodied
Nose: hops, apple jam, beans, sharp perfume smell
Taste: grain, leather, vanilla, pear
Finish: weak, grape pomace
Not bad. Somewhere between 80 and 85, I think.

Ledaig 12 y.o.

Nose: peat, bandages, un-malted barley, oak and campfire notes
Taste: dry, woody, hops, fish
Finish: iodine-bandages, long and very pleasant
Excellent, a classic from Islay. Something like Ardbeg, but with a medical slant and even more intense. Towards the end, I even went back for it. I was already thinking about a CB, but seeing the price, I changed my mind. 87/100

I was at the Elite Spirits festival on Saturday.

I should start going to places that align with my interests. If I can shake off this apathy soon, that is. Sigh...

places based on my interests

Are you talking about a brothel?

Are they in a brothel or something?

I knew someone would say that. I haven't paid attention to them for quite some time. Too much overhead, not profitable in any sense. Other interests, like watching boring arthouse films. That's the most accessible interest for me right now.

Added 2 minutes later
At least there's something I like in my crappy, underdeveloped metropolis.

I attended a Balvenie masterclass. The masterclass itself wasn't very good, and the masterclass about a distillery that wasn't interesting to me turned out to be even worse, but they were serving some decent whiskies there. The Balvenie Single Barrel 12 y.o. Nose: acetone, wax, lacquer, cedar, caramel Taste: honey, citrus, malt, nuts Finish: citrus, malt Not bad, drinkable, and tasty. Much better than the 12 DoubleWood. 83/100 The Balvenie Single Barrel 15 y.o. Nose: propolis, rancid nuts, dried fruits, sponge cake Taste: ??? Finish: many heavy woody and nutty notes and candied fruits It's somehow heavy and unpleasant. I really don't understand what happens when I drink Speyside, especially if it's a "sherry monster." Overall, I didn't like this one. Philbert Dovecote Nose: very powerful, even rough, but interesting: nuts, dried apricots, red roses. Taste: quite a typical cognac palette, but more powerful and with floral-perfume notes. In the finish, red berries play a leading role. The cognac is very young (3 years) and from small barrels. And it's very good! Yes, it's rough, yes, it's a bit harsh, but not every XO can boast such an intense flavor. In general, in recent years, I have started to appreciate cognac much more (but only French!), and largely thanks to Philbert. I would have already run to buy it, but it's just not in my price range. 85/100 Balblair 12 I was already quite tipsy, and I didn't like it, which is strange, as the region is "mine," and I used to like the older releases of Balblair. I won't go into detail; there's a high probability that I just didn't understand it.