Everyone knows that whiskeys and wines improve with age. Not everyone knows that beers do, too.

Actually, J.W. Lees’s Harvest Ale is a wine, if only in name — it’s a barley wine. Crafted with consummate skill by the fine lads at John Willie Lees in Manchester, England, this particular vintage was brewed in 1999 with East Kent Goldings hops and Maris Otter malted barley, then left in sherry-seasoned casks to slumber toward sublimity.

Once the bottle is opened, the genie comes out with a vengeance. The first thing you notice is the nose: a ribald and robust bouquet of sweet floral notes. That scarcely prepares you for the first sip — a mighty riot of explosive, nuanced flavor: raisins, caramel, licorice, and sultry-sweet malt.

After a few more draughts, you remember that it’s 11.5 percent alcohol by volume (ABV). So that’s why they call it a wine.

As the label says, it can be "enjoyed now or laid down like a vintage wine for enjoyment in years to come." We enjoyed it now. Instant gratification is its own reward.

J.W. Lees Harvest Ale 1999 is available for $6.50 for a 12-ounce bottle (the 2000 vintage is $5.50) at Downtown Wine & Spirits, 225 Elm Street, in Somerville. Call (617) 625-7777.