Harviestoun Ola Dubh (16 Year Old)

THOUGHTS: Not too much different than the 12 Year Old. Hid the alcohol a little better and was more balanced. The coffee that was in the 12 is now chocolate and smoke is more tame. But there is still a little coffee. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a dark brown that was black in the glass with very slight amber highlights and a small, sudsy, tan head that mostly diminished. The aroma was moderate toasted, chocolate and strong coffee malts; cola, salt, dark fruit, whiskey and light smoke. The initial flavor was lightly sweet; while the finish was moderately sweet and bitter with an average to long duration. There was smoke, caramel, a little dark fruit, chocolate, coffee and roasted malt. The medium to full body was oily and slightly syrupy with soft carbonation and a moderate astringent, light alcoholic and slight smokey finish.

Dark brown, oily, small dark tan head. Reminds of Goose Island BCS with a little larger head. Strong but classy nose of whisky, chocolate, and wood depths. Taste is delicious: chocolate, alcohol, malt, dry wood, and a nice smoky peat touch. Medium bodied, super rich, long in peat, and ultra smooth, this is one hell of a beer for whisky heads, stout heads, dessert-beer heads, fireside-winter-beer heads...

Bottle 08083/Sept2007
Surprise! It’s dark, which I didn’t expect. It’s pretty much pitch black in fact.
Iodine was the first thing that came through in the nose, something I pick up when I’m sampling a dram of Scotch. Funny, from memory, Highland Park didn’t smell like that. Enjoyable smoky and vanilla effluves as well.
Salty and acidic, it tasted like Tamari sauce, with a side of ashes. Light body, you can tell that the barrel aging stripped the Beer of some of it’s ’soul’, something I find a bit deplorable. I enjoyed, but this seems to be a case of a Beer not exceeding the sum of it’s parts.

Bottle side by side with the 30: Pour was thick black with little head. Aroma was of strong whiskey and oak with a lot of sweet malt. Brew was extremely well blended with some chocolate characters along with the sweet malt, strong roasted character, and even stronger whiskey/scotch flavors. Damn fine brew. Just a hint better than the 12 on my scale.

33 cL bottle. Pours dark brown to black with a diminished chocolate brown head. Smooth chocolate, a bit of vanilla and mild roasted malty aroma. Light chalky too. Smooth chocolate and downplayed roasted malt flavour, smoothend by vanilla wooden flavoures. Light acidic touch into a smooth chocolate finish. Very smooth.

Bottle. Mild caramelly aroma. Very dark brown colour. Good vanilla flavour, quite subtle compared to the 12 year old.

Room temp. bottle (#13441, 9/07 bottling) pured into English pint. Pours oily black with a deep tan 3-finger head. Aroma of malt with a light smoky undertone. Slightly oily palate. Malyy flavor with a noticible smokiness and a not of chocolate. SLightly astringent on the tongue at first, but that goes away over time. Excellent.

Starting with the solid old engine oil as a base the wood of the 16yo HP works very well, just adding complexity with smoke, vanilla and light heather. Different but no better than the 12.