Harviestoun Ola Dubh (12 Year Old)

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

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.

Sampled at the Alexi TN distributor’s tasting; thanks Jim Bird! Tasted alongside the 16 and 30 year. All poured a very dark brown with a very small dark tan head. Roasty, hammy and creamy smooth. Pretty tasty stuff, just too expensive.

Bottle #5784, Sept. 2007. Poured rich, deep coffee brown with a swirly dusting of beige head. The aroma picked up sweeter, roasted chocolate and coffee notes laced with earthy and peaty whiskey.. the maltage here really came across as candy-like. The flavor had more of a blackstrap molasses and toasted black patent malt character with the smoky peat presence remaining the same.. mild oaky and whiskey sourness around the edges and through the finish, leaving a long-lasting impression. Sweeter than expected on the palate, which made it very dessert-y.. the whiskey presence cut through it nicely.. this was tasty, but certainly not great.

Bottle. Haket. Gothenburg. Dark brown/black colour with a beige head. Aroma: a bit salty, roasted, smoky, dark fruit. Taste: Very smooth and creamy, dark fruit, sweetness, saltiness, oak, light smoke and peat. Rosted dry finish.