Harviestoun Old Engine Oil Special Reserve

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

Pours opaque black with a very thin brown head. The aroma has some interesting fruity aromas very similar to a brandy, also some burnt aromas, some chocolate, some alcohol, and hops. The mouthfeel is quite nice - decently carbonated despite the very thin head. It starts sweet on the tonge with lots of chocolate. Some hop bitterness and some fruit (almost like prunes) in the middle. The flavor of alcohol, more hop bitterness, more chocolate, and some smoke flavors lie in the finish. An excellent strong scotch ale / wee heavy (though this site categorizes it as an old ale)

Cask at Map Room. Damn good stuff. Deep inky black with little to no head. Aroma is so good. Nice undertones of wiskey along with coccoa, toffee, dark fruits, and maybe some charred wood. Taste is a huge blast of roast and chocolate, followed by a subtle and well welcomed wiskey flavor. Moderately sweet. Thinninsh body, but really doesnt detract much at all. Good stuff.

Bottle. Brown, with some slight deep red edges. Nose shows some light peaty notes/whiskey notes, with some band-aidy aromas. Palate is quite sweet, and quite smooth, with some light acidity. The mouthfeel feels a bit flat and tired.

Ruby brown body with and oily head that wakes up with agitation. Nose sawdust and soy. Sulfur, maple syrup, almond and marzipan. Flavour is heavy on soy, but beyond full description. Some malt vinegar flavours. wtf.

Pours black with a thin dissapating head.Lots of smoke aroma with a chocolate hint.Lots of smoke fllavor along with hints of choclate and wood.Very good

8% ABV bottle poured into my Chouffe tulip glass, perfectly sized glassware, great choice for the very nice head that was produced right up to the brim. Chocolate-tan colored thick head separated out from the body almost like a stout. Body was pitch black. Head retention was pretty good and the lacing was pretty, about as good as you can get with this style. The aroma was of chocolate, whiskey, dark fruits, and very light peat. The flavor hid the whiskey accents until higher temperatures of 60Fish (which may disappoint some, but it didn’t me, even at the peak temps, the whiskey was supportive rather than dominant), as the chocolate was the primary feature, really smooth chocolate. Other flavors were roasted malts, molasses, light licorice, a touch of coffee, and some plums as it warmed a bit. Both coffee and peat in the aftertaste, along with an unexpected hop zing finish that helps to balance out the somewhat sweet and rich malty base. This was a really nice treat and it exceeded my expectations - so much that it may be up there in my top 3 Scottish ales. Mouthfeel was totally smooth, silky, and creamy with a touch of carbonation tingle. Need to return to this one someday.

Poured black with a tan head that quickly diminished to a hint of covering. Nose was a strange combination of soy and chocolate. Mouthfeel was thinner than expected based on the appearance. Flavor was really a disappointment – like drinking soy sauce with a bitter finish. I’m not sure what kind of whiskey cask this was aged in, but I definitely don’t what to drink in of it.

Bottle. Nose-maple syrup, baker’s chocolate, hay, sawdust. Dark chocolate colored with a few bubbles. Taste-soy, smoke, soy sauce, slightly bitter, some slight butter. Thin and weird at the same time.