Harviestoun Ola Dubh (30 Year Old)

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

[Bottle 4701 Sept 07] This packaging is almost too awesome to open, however, seeing as I only surpass 1000 ratings once... here it goes. Old Engine Oil Special Reserve really opened me up to a still of beer that became one of my favorites. Rating 991, 9 to go. Served at room temperature. Pours with surprisingly more carbonation than I would have expected. Pours an opaque cola color with a very fine dense fizzy beige head 4.5. Aroma of strong whisky, oxidized malts, hint of coconut?, peat, hint of raisins, dark and milk chocolate. First taste is strong Highland Park 30, followed by chocolates, touch of bitter roast, coconut, touch of leather, blends very nicely while definitely being more whisky forward, the whisky really matches the bitterness well. Finishes with corse dark roast and dark chocolate. Just like scotch, it helps to move it around the tongue a bit to uncover some of those peaty flavors. Great mouthful, close to chalky, medium /full bodied, very soft medium sized carbonation. I think I prefer the balance of the 16 the best of the original 3 releases.

11.2oz bottle, # 15618, bottled Sept 2007. Sampled side-by-side with the 12 and 16. Pours very deep brown, nearly opaque, with a thin off-white head. Aroma is primarily vanilla and peat, with some chocolate. Chocolate malt flavor, with vanilla, and whiskey. This was smooth and well balanced, definitely my favorite of the 3 Ola Dubhs.

I have writer’s block. It’s the worst feeling in the world ... Try ten days without a bowel movement sometime .. i mean you just sit there... tell me about it ... you just stare at this black piece of paper, all it says is small tan head... dark brown black clour on pour .. . nice roastiness... more complex to a degree but after all these old ales, it starts getting trying .. . some burnt molasses ... a beutiful brew.. and now theres an 18yr and a 40 yr.. just when i tracked them all down i get boobed.... .

Pours an opaque black with just a little lacing on top. Not much carbonation overall. Aroma of berries, brown sugar, rum cake. Ooh, the whiskey is very evident in this one. The flavor is slightly sweet, but also quite leathery and smoky. Smoky in that scotch way. Body is medium. A little chocolate comes around near the end. I was expecting a little thicker body. Tastes a little bigger than 8%. Tastes like 10 or so, but that may be the whisky essence. Very tasty and satisfying. Overpriced a little though. Overall, very good.

Cask at Deep Ellum. I really really enjoyed this one. For someone who’s used to a lot of bourbon-barrel aged beers, this was an interesting change of pace. I think beers aged in emptied barrels from distilleries fall into one of four categories: 1) The flavors from the liquor overwhelm the beer. 2) The flavors from the liquor are too subtle. 3) The flavors from the liquor clash with the underlying beer. 4) The flavors from the liquor complement the beer very nicely. This one is definitely the last. The peaty, earthy tones from the scotch lent a great flavor to the beer, and it was really very enjoyable. A sipper to be sure, but just delicious.

On Cask at Deep Ellum, body is a dark brown with caramel notes at the edges with literally no visible head, even when provoked. The nose is strong with notes of scotch, licorice, tobacco and peat. Flavors are fairly mild with a strong presence of a smoothed out scotch. Notes of tobacco head the malt profile with some sweet bread, brown sugar, and maple sryup. The pallate was so tame being on cask that it was kinda a downer. No life at all, and drank more like a 20 proof liquer. The alcohol burn was really strong, and the malts were very soft. I look forward to trying this in a bottle.

Bottle 03622 / Sept 2007. Served cold. The aroma contains strong notes of vanilla and wood with some roasted malts and a hint of scotch. Some claim a whiff of tobacco is present, but my nose isn’t that refined. It poured oil black with a very thin, tan head. Very light carbonation. The flavor is smokey and sweet. It seems to embody all those elements of the aroma plus a few more. I’ve tasted many, many beers aged in oak or bourbon barrels, but this is by far the strongest wood taste I have experienced. Full bodied. Long, smooth finish with a hint of bintterness.

Johnny Walker Black is pretty much the only liquor I drink. This has similar woody and vanilla notes and is insanely smooth. It roasted, peat, and licorice flavors, with some alcohol that adds to the scotchlike appeal. Thank you blind tiger for having this on tap.