Harviestoun Ola Dubh (12 Year Old)

Brewed by Harviestoun
Style: Old Ale
Alva, Central, Scotland

bottle; poured dark brown/black with smallish light brown head. Aroma of wood, roasted malt, whiskey, caramel, fruit and peat. Really solid flavor. Enjoyed it alot. Found it to be very drinkable considering the aging and ABV. Found the aging to be done well. Whiskey was present, but not dominant. Other flavors include chocolate, roasted malt/peat?, caramel and maybe some vanilla and meat.

Bottle # 04034 Sept 2007. Aromas of wood, wet grains and molasas. Black body with somewhat of a dark tan head tried to form. As beer warmed up bodytexture a creamy mouthfeel along with some sweet malt licorice flavor. Mild brew and easy on the palate leaving a slight sweet dry aftertaste. Good old ale.

Blackish pour, moderate head with decent lacing and retention. Aroma is smoke with some whiskey notes. Chocolate and caramel malts, lightly roasted with vanilla. Medium to full bodied, quite sweet. Not bad, but could be a lot better.

Bottle # 11243 and served in my NB worthy glass (vertical of 12/18/30):

Nearly opaque with a fading but lasting head and minimal lace but some oily legs upon the glassware. The aroma has notes of charred wood and Black Patent malt, star anise, sun ripened prune, heavy liquid vanilla extract, massive alcohol vapours, and some lovely smoked peat bog.

The taste starts with a robust porter malt roundhouse followed by a right jab of twangy fruit finishing with a knockout uppercut of boozy scotch and wood flavors. What ever hop bitterness that may have been in the beer is long gone. Swallowed by a wonderful complex earthy and herbal character.

The mouth feel is sharp and oily with a noticeable warming about the chest. A beauty of a brew IMO, but I knew I should enjoy this since it is a combination of two of my favorite vises, Olde English Ales and Scotch Whisky!

Tried a sample thanks to Jonpol. Gracias!!! Unfortunately, the most redeeming quality of this one was the bottle. Mahogany pour with a swirl for a head. The aroma is sweet and woody. Definitely can taste the alcohol here, but better when warmed. Thin with obvious notes of scotch. Not a favorite.

Chocolate, coffee, and wood in the nose. Pours very dark brown with no head. Woody, chocolate and coffee, very smokey, with charcoal and slightly peaty. Its very smooth and better as it warms up.

Bottle 04111, September 2007 Date; sampled April 2008
A vigorous pour produces a two-finger thick, frothy, fairly large bubbled, creamed cocoa-brown colored head. The beer is almost indistinguishable from black, but does show a touch of deep, dark, burnt-amber color if held up directly to the light. Wow, this smells like a rich, savory candy that is a mix of teriyaki, sesame, and concentrated toffee. Underneath this are substantial aromatic notes of prunes and dried figs that are joined by softer, but quite distinct notes of salty, smoky peat reek. Molasses aromatics play a huge role, just a confluence of the sweet, concentrated malt and the savor malt and peat character. This beer is dripping with umami aromatics; rich, savory, hearty & a concentrated, aged malt character that is just oozing drops of intense malt character.

Thick, but quite a bit lighter than might be suggested by the aroma; in fact it has a thinness that I was expecting before I cracked this beer and smelled the concentrate aroma. Flavors of lightly sweet, yet rich, molasses, Hoisin sauce, concentrated graham crackers, buttery toffee and burnt salt-water taffy; really this beer is not all that sweet, but just enough to keep the richness in check. The finish is dried out quite a bit by a lingering, slightly astringent, light bitter, burnt malt character that adds flavors of cold-pressed black coffee, . The whisky notes are fairly soft here, I think it is mostly a salty, smoky peat-derived character that shows up; it most definitely adds to the richness of this brew.

The flavor of this beer is quite a bit better and richer if you take a few minutes rest between sips, without doing this the beer somehow comes off as being a bit thin. The molasses like character of this brew is perhaps as big as I have ever tasted in a beer and this mixes quite well with a solid smokiness that is quite pleasing to my palate. An interesting beer; I definitely like the balance and character that the barrel aging has brought as it is not too overwhelming here.

Purchased: <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Liquors, Tucson AZ

Here we go folks. This one pour blackish with a modest spattered head that reduces slowly leaving behind textbook lacework. The aroma is delicious to say the least with an aroma I remember from childhood. It was a smoky marinade recipe for pork chops that my grandfather held close to his vest. It was an aroma that made my mouth water. Smoky Worcestershire, leather, iodine, grilled steak, and dough. Medium nectar and low carbonation with soft and creamy effers. Mildly sweet and smoky with a moderate roast. A defined and penetrating bittering component adds to this complex brew a worthy drinkability. Flavors of smoky sweet malts, roasted peat and coffee bean, leather, iodine, Worcestershire sauce, cocoa, aspirin. The finish is bittered well and a smoky lingering like a fire put out stains my palate. Overall: this is a rather exotic brew with defined barrel influence although mild. It’s refined rather than over the top and very delicious indeed.