Harviestoun Old Engine Oil Special Reserve

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

When I cracked this bottle, I forgot it was brewed in whiskey casks, but the auroma quickly reminded me. Smells like a whiskey sour. Hum, taste about the same. Sour, like whiskey, sour and flat coke. Not that good.

Gentle black in color. Suprisingly explosive nose, vinous & complex, with hints of red wine, grapes, vanilla, cocunut, whiskey, wood and sherry. Flavor on the front palate is light and thin, until the midpalate explodes with sour fruits, light caramel/toffee, whiskey, vanilla, and wood. Flavor is pretty crude and sour overall, with a thin body, but the aroma is very nice.

I thought it was a tasty and delightful beer. Dark brown in color. Mildly malty aroma with some hops. Yeasty finish with hints of plum, chocolate and wet cardboard.

bottle, pours black with no head. there is a thin film of tiny tan bubbles, aroma is quite nice. whiskey is the most fragrant followed by malt and a little coffee. has a bitter and slick mouth feel. taste is whiskey though it is not too strong or overpowering. followed by malt and coffee mabye a little bitter chocolate. there is a lightly sweet taste in the end. not bad

Pitch black, light creamy head, strong whisky and lighter chocolate, coffee, vanilla and oak aroma’s. This beer smells good!! Taste is even better, first of all...whisky, smooth, sweet, light carbonation, excellent beer, bittersweet aftertaste. One of my favourites.

Bottled. POurs pitch black and still. Looks like a falt Coke. Sweet aroma with lots of caramel malts, dark fruits, brandy, burnt sugar and vanilla. Viscous mouthfeel but somehow the flavor seems watered down. Tingy, plums, brandy again and maybe a little but of the vanilla. Aftertaste is a weird pungent, stringy coating of the thoat. Maybe it’s just my ignorance of this style but I don’t find it goes down very easily. Re-Rate. POurs black with no head but plenty of carbonation. Toasted oak aromas, soil, plums and a bit of chocolate. Tastes very strongly of oak and tannins, VERY strongly. This bottle seems young and sharp but I’ve really come around to appreciating this beer. Tons of dark fruit character. Acidic and astringent finish.

2002... Poured an opaque brown color with a small, tan, creamy head that left light lacing on the glass. Aroma of smoke, vanilla, bourbon, roast, raisins, and wood. Taste of chocolate, port, caramel, nuts, roast and light smoke as well. Thin mouthfeel.

Poured very dark brown with a small but creamy tan head, immediate strong whiskey aroma. Smells like a a cup of Joe with a shot in it. This tastes like coffee that has a shot in it and has soaked in oak chips then strain. There is a pleasant bitter alcohol finish that lingers. I am still on the fence with this. There is a bitter sweet chocolate taste in here as well as some vanilla. This is crazy, try this, I think it would be worth it, if wood aging is for you.