Southern Tier Iniquity

My hubby surprised me the other night by bringing home a variety box of Southern Tier.  He loves their IPAs and knows I haven't tried very many of their other stuff.  The first one I grabbed was Iniquity:

Vittles:
Specialty Beer (Imperial Black Ale)
9% abv

Score:
Appearance: 8/10
Aroma: 24/25
Taste: 37/40
Mouthfeel: 9/10
Style: 5/5
Drinkability: 8/10
Overall: 91/100

Impression:
With a decent pour and fair head retention, this beer starts off on the right note.  The aromas are full and complex, dominated mainly by roasted tones like coffee and chocolate/cocoa, with a bit of citrus, plums, dates, and a piney twang in the background.  The flavors follow the nose pretty closely, but some of the malt-sweetness (caramel in particular) comes through more clearly, while the roasty character (burnt/charred toast) adds to the complexity.  What impresses me the most about this beer and brings it up to an A level for me is the full-bodied smoothness -- it goes down like rich velvet.  I'm glad there's one more left in my keezer.

Cheers!