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Harviestoun Ola Dubh (16 Year Old)

Harviestoun Ola Dubh (16 Year Old)

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 Percentile 
95
overall
An Old Ale brewed by
Harviestoun

Alva, Central, Scotland

bottled
common

on tap
available

Broad Distribution
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 Ratings  Average  Score  ABV  Style Pctl  Serve in  Advanced 
1153.77/5.03.75/5.08%92.5 Dimpled mug, Stein P  Stats

Commercial Description:
Ola Dubh (or ‘Black Oil’) is a collaboration between Harviestoun Brewery and Highland Park, Distiller of the Year*. It is based on Harviestoun’s award-winning Old Engine Oil. With more than a stylistic nod to the classic Imperial Porters (and Stouts) of the nineteenth century, this deliciously rich, dark, 8% a.b.v. beer is the first ale to be aged in malt whisky casks from a named distillery and, with traceable casks and numbered bottles, the rest with genuine provenance. Ola Dubh will initially be available in three different expressions; the initial release will be of small batches aged in casks formerly used to mature Highland Park 12 Year Old, Highland Park 16 Year Old and Highland Park 30 Year Old. Further variants are planned for the future. Ola Dubh is, in the words of beer afficionado Owen D.L. Barstow: “The most interesting new British beer I have tried in years.”

Most RecentTop RatersHighest Ratings Who's Rated This?
 TheCheeseMan (477), Saint Cloud, Florida, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/58/103/516/20

Apr 5, 2008  
Tasted along with the 12, the 16 shows itself to be a much more refined and almost elegantly subtle cousin. The aroma is more subdued, with the roast and vanilla notes shining through. The flavor is equally as balanced, with the wonderful Old Ale being allowed to shine a bit brighter here.

 henrikb (1008), Aarhus, Denmark
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/103/516/20
Jul 8, 2008  
Black body and a dark brown head; Good but the aroma could be bigger, all the right and very pleasant aromas but somehow the nose doesn’t know if if really wants to be a whiskey barrel aged beer or not; Super soft very pleasant body, maybe it is the fact that it is very pleasant that is wrong an old ale should not be very pleasant, it should be pleasant and very complex and hard to understand (imo of cause); Warm soft and aroma and texture in finish, again it is to simple good and not aggressive enough. A hard rating of a very good beer, Thanks.


 mgumby10 (1480), West Palm Beach, Florida, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/58/104/517/20
Jul 5, 2008  
Pours pretty jet black, with a small, quickly dispersing, light brown head. The smell is rich with caramel cream, light peat, molasses, gingerbread, dark fruit, and mild chocolate. Really dug that nose. The flavor was a little heavier on the peat and smoke than the nose let on, although not too burning or up front. Left some nice heat in the finish however. The flavor was of burnt malts and dark fruit mixing with mild chocolate bitterness and woodsy oak. Well carbonated, more than I expected. The finish was a little fruity sweet, with the mild chocolate notes becoming apparent a bit. Very nice brew indeed.


 LooseCannon (572), Norfolk, Virginia, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/58/104/517/20
Jul 4, 2008  
11.2oz bottle, Bottle No & date 03749/Sept 2007. Pours pitch black in color with thin brown head. Aroma sweet, dark chocolate and roasted malt. Taste chocolate, Scotch, coffee and bitter sweet with bitter and dry finish.


 MartinT (4241), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/58/104/517/20
Jul 3, 2008  
My Bottom Line:
Sublime peat smoke rises from the dark chocolate, vanilla and licorice dessert bestowed upon the ecstatic tastebuds in this rich, complex and highly original Old Ale.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A veil of foam lingers atop the pitch blackness.
-The salty component from the highly peated barrel alters the vanilla and chocolate aspect of the malt sweetness and takes it into sweet soy realms.
-The roastiness also takes the form of charred wood at times.
-There is barely any alcohol showing in this flavor profile.
-The smoky and roasty finish is bitter and enduring, but not too much as to bother the tastebuds.
-The body is corpulent and is easily perceptible due to the relaxed carbonation.

Bottled in September 2007.


 heemer77 (3536), North Liberty, Iowa, USA
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/103/515/20
Jul 1, 2008  
No one around here seems to care, so I am drinking a bottle of this one on my own. Black body with a light brown head. Massive peat malt and smoke dominate the aroma. there is also some of that sea smell. at first, I could not detect the beer behind the overwhelming scotch. However, as it warmed, the beers malt was subtle with some light chocolate. The taste is the expected peat with a salty and lightly smoky finish. As it warms, the beer starts to shine a little past the whisky. There are notes of deep prunes and dark chocolate. A thick and oily mouthfeel complements the beer. i wanted to like this one more, but again, the barrel aging is just too much.




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