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Harviestoun Ola Dubh (16 Year Old)

Harviestoun Ola Dubh (16 Year Old)

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 Percentile 
96
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 
1623.79/5.03.78/5.08%93.5Dimpled 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?
 merlin48 (356), New Tazewell, Tennessee, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/517/20

Apr 25, 2008  
11.2 oz bottle, #04722. Pours dark and viscous, opaque in the snifter. Small sheets of khaki lacing for decoration. Bold aroma of oak wood, Scotch whisky, vanilla, chocolate, and some nuttiness. Full bodied with low carbonation. Taste opens with dark roasty chocolate, joined by vanilla, earthy oak, charcoal, and whisky. A really nice sipper, worthy of some additional aging.

 jhumphries69 (537), Tyrone, Georgia, USA
4.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/59/104/519/20
Oct 13, 2008  
33cl bottle. Pours opaque black with a thin, persistent tan head. The aroma is very smoky with peat, molasses, and dark fruit. The flavor starts slightly sweet with chocolate, dark fruit, vanilla, some peat, and some Scotch whiskey notes. This beer is complex: smoke, thick oakiness, raisins, and chocolate. Decadence is an understatement. The finish is somewhat dry from alcohol but thick and sweet with smoke, peat, and an interesting fruity and earthy bitterness. The mouthfeel is thick, ropey, and creamy with soft carbonation and a drying sensation all over the mouth from alcohol. Overall: wow! Decadent, interesting, and uber-complex.


 EHopper (148), Minnesota, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/517/20
Oct 13, 2008  
Black with aroma of coffee and fine tobacco. Well balanced flavor of burnt wood, sweet malt, dark, dark fruit and a bit of slight whisky and bitter aftertaste. Very, very good.


 ChristianScheffel (2263), Odense, Denmark
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/58/104/516/20
Oct 11, 2008  
Black with a small off-white head. Roasted malt aroma with licorice and some peat smoke. Smooth and complex flavour with peat and roasted malts.


 Indulgence (124), Ajo, Arizona, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/57/105/516/20
Oct 6, 2008  
No 15498, Sept 07. Strongly smokey, salty, peaty and roasty... very dry on the finish... leaves you smacking your lips and thirsty... smooth, but just a scotch flavor bomb, not my cup of tea.


 tronraner (1439), Maryville, Tennessee, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/516/20
Oct 5, 2008  
12 oz bottle. Pours black with orange edges and a pretty tan head. The aroma is sweet chocolate, whisky, caramel, raisin, and some tar hints. The flavor is fine tobacco, chocolate, raisin, wood, and a more subtle whisky presence than I was expecting. There is a bit of ashy bitterness, with a slight roasty-sour bite in the finish. Lingering aftertaste of dark molasses and whisky. A very light alcohol warmth builds up. Excellent.



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