Harviestoun Ola Dubh (12 Year Old)

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

Old Ale? For me its not. I think I was drinking an entire bottle of an Imperial Stout example. And it was amazing! Very black with a pretty creamy head. Nose: roasty, chocolate, alcoholic background, smells treacle too. Flavour :Roasted burnt from black malt, emphyreumatic background, chocolate treacle and alcohol. Balanced bitternes. Palate: I expect more body It was a bit far attenuated but was ok. Whisky notes? Where? No Oak flavours too, that’s only marketing. But what can I say, it’s a heaven top Ale!!!

Got this at Sam’s in Chicago last week. Poured with a tan head and some lace. Has very pleasing color highlights. Looking straight through it’s about opaque. Nice roasty, whiskey, malt, chocolate, ripe dark fruit nose. Flavor’s the same but much more full. Really pick up the whisky and a bit of oak. Little sweet on tongue sides and tip. Great body and carbonation. Boozy. Nice long rich finish. No way a session. Great for after dinner or on a dreary day.

Bottle. This beer was interesting to say the least, wasn’t sure what to expect while opening it, but my curiosity payed off delicious flavors but aroma is ok, alcohol content barely shows through.

Unfortunately a bit thin on the palate. Probably not a robust enough beer for this type of aging. Smokey, malty nose, but not more than I was expecting. Whiskey and chocolate body with a medium bitter finish. Flattered to deceive.

Bottle purchased at Buckeye Beer Engine. I have been sitting on the 30 and 12 versions for quite a while now, so I decided to go out and get a 12 to try and see if I want to hold off on the other 2, or dive right in. The aroma of this right off the bat was something else. It reminded me of some good cured olives. The pour is a deep dark black which required a rough pour to give it a wonderful thick cream head on top. The aroma, once my nose got right up next to the beer is very smokey, lots of character is given off from the barrels, so much so that there robust smokey malt flavors from the Highland Scotch actually come through here. Jesus, it has been years since I have had Scotch, but this brings me back. The rest of this beer is just a huge malt profile that has been put to bed. It is so smooth that it just goes down so smooth. The alcohol is hidden completely, and the chocolaty malt flavors just get to come in like none other. This has adopted the barrel conditioning better, and more drastically, than any other beer I can think of.

September 2007 bottle. Pours an inky dark brown with just a fine lacing. Aroma is of ripe dark fruit, molasses, just a hint of scotch. Flavor is initially leathery, somewhat salty, followed by a definite whiskey presence. Smoky finish. Each sip gets a little better. Pleasant flavor, ultimately. Palate is oily, on par with other old ales I’ve had, nothing extraordinary in the mouthfeel. Could’ve been a tad sweeter; That would’ve made this very memorable for me. Still nice though. I’d have again if it weren’t so overpriced. Overall, very good minus.

[2061-20090402] 11.2floz bottle. Pizza crust rich figgy roasted malt aroma. Black body with a quick bubbly dark tan head. Rich malty roast aroma has rich whiskey throughout and oak and something like "seaweed." Full body. Very tasty, rich with whiskey cream.
(12 Reserve from Village Beer Merchant, Buffalo; w/ garthicus, HogTownHarry, jerc)

Bottle # 6938, Sept 2007. Pitch black pour and a nice chocolate head. Aroma of whiskey (subtle - unlike others I have tried that end up overwhelming), smoke, dark fruit and chocolate. Serious taste on this one - again the whisky is very present but subtle at the same time.. perfect blend. Also behind the whiskey was the taste of a chocolate bar and some fruitiness. Like the Old Engine Oil, this is one thick beer. This one is a winner.