Harviestoun Ola Dubh (16 Year Old)

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

Gift from Blair at Hamilton’s...Thanks man! Like the 12 year...it pours with a dark brown to black body topped by a medium thick, light brown head with a good amount of lacing left behind. It’s a little less sweet than the 12, but the smokey, woody notes are about the same. Vanilla shows through and chocolate shows nicely. Full bodied and smooth with a touch of dryness.

IThis is a pretty well-done whisky-barrel-aged beer. The beer itself is fairly light in body (for its size) and lacking the aggressive flavor of it’s American counterparts, it could have easily been overwhelmed by the whisky. I’m surprised, but this beer (which I’m assuming is the same base recipe as the 12 year, but with this one the whisky note is more mellow. There’s still that little charred wood bit, but it’s balanced out more by the chocolate notes. this is the better of the two.

Bottle courtesy of goryshkewych: Poured a pitch-black color ale with a medium foamy head with good retention and some good lacing. Aroma of sweet malt with distinctive barley notes from scotch. Taste is a mix between some really nice creamy barley notes from the barrel and some light roasted notes from the original beer. Body is quite full with a nice creamy texture, no apparent alcohol and good carbonation. Very good overall and easily drinkable which makes this one the best in this series.

from liar’s club. Black with a small tan head. Stronger chocolate, scotch, and oak aroma. More weight on the tongue, smooth mouthfeel, chocolate, mellow scotch, and oak taste with a dry finish.

Pours a thick looking, inky chocolate brown to virtually black color. A frothy, cream colored head settles to a thin film with a prominent, bubbly edge. Random patches and splatterings of lace mark the glass. The nose shows dark chocolate, caramel, sweet peaty smoke, dry whiskey, and some earthy hop character. At this point, I can’t believe how much better this smells than the 12 year. The first sip is nearly mind blowing, as the balance is damn near perfect, a stark contrast to the 12 year version, which was far more harsh. Sweet and bitter dark chocolates lay the base, while soft peat and smooth whiskey add perfectly subtle compliments. There’s a lactic creaminess that goes incredibly well with the dry smokiness. The body is medium-full and silky smooth, finishing slightly dry and chalky, with lingering peat on the tongue. This is a flat-out awesome brew. I can’t believe how much better this is than the 12. A chocolate and scotch lover’s dream.

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Bottle No. 61520. ABV is 8.0%. Pitch black colour, big to moderate and creamy tan head. The whisky oak cask with peaty smoke and notes of tar comes through in the aroma, followed by notes of roastiness (roast malts, coffee) and chocolate. The aroma is more mellow and subdued than the 12 y.o., but still nice. The flavour has also here loads of rich malty sweetness, immediately followed by distinct notes of peaty smoke - it is again quite amazing what impact the whisky cask has. Dark chocolate in the middle. The finish has a firm bitterness from the hops and burnt malts, while the peaty smoke lasts through the long aftertaste. A truly impressive beer, but if you don’t like scotch whisky at all, this might not be the beer for you. Not easy drinking (somewhat smoother than the 12 y.o., though), but a great sipping beer, and a real treat for any lover of peatiness.

Drank as a vertical of 12, 16, and 30: Pour is black with a tiny off white head...smell is roasty and sweet and not nearly as harsh as the 12...molasses and caramel and faintly smoky...somewhat medicinal though...taste is rich and smoky...lots of peat character and this one tastes much more of scotch than the 12...nothing really interesting or over the top about it though....

bottle. black pour, minimal head, lightly carbonated. flavors of chocolate, sherry?, and a few other things I can’t place. Very smooth. Tasty