Harviestoun Old Engine Oil Special Reserve

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

Picked up at Habersham Beverage Warehouse in Savannah. The pour has the consistency of a quart of motor oil and has a thick, mocha colored head with enticing sticky lacing. Aroma has hints of licorice, raisins, and molasses, very earthy and smoky. Flavor has the same qualities with a little bit of chocolate in the back end with the smokiness reigning supreme. An Excellent Scottish Ale, not much different than the regular version of this.

(3/11/06, cask) Black body with soft beige head. Aroma is rich, moderately sweety, fudge/chocolate, smoke, cherry. Taste is sweet, rich, chocolate/fudge, smoke, alcohol, some cherry. Soft, medium-full body. As my rating reflects, I really enjoyed this, but if the alcohol were milder, I would have enjoyed much more. (8/5/8/5/16)

(11/21/04) Red black body with minimal tan head. Aroma is medium sweet, peat, scotch. Taste is sweet, caramel, peat, scotch, finishes with mild alcohol warming. Creamy medium-full body, light carbonation. (7/3/8/4/15)

Poured brown with a small tan head. Aroma isa little sweet, malty, raosty, dark fruit, and light whiskey. i bought this a little while back and so not sure if it had more of the whiskey or this was it. Flavor was malty sweet, a little tangy, and roasty. Whiskey made a slight presence at the end of the flavor. The body smooth and with a medium feel.

deep brown with garnet notes when held to the light. head is tan, thin, but lasting. nose is roasted malt, mild alcohol, and hints of caramel. flavor is partially dry, partially sweet with notes of alcohol, roast, leather. i’m surprised i don’t detect whisky in this since it was aged in malt casks.

Pours jet black with no head. Aroma is of lactic sourness and whiskey. Taste has more of the same along with notes of roasty malts, dark fruits and chocolate. Very sweet, tart and sour. Slighty burnt aftertaste and alcohol tinge. Medium smooth body with hardly no carbonation. Interesting, but not really my thing.

Pours just lighter than used engine oil. There was no head and no lacing. It smelt of sweet scotch, maybe some fig and definatly some alcohol. The taste is mainly sour/acidic and has a sweet finish. The frist drinks were a bit tough, but I got used to it and ended up enjoying it. I wont buy it again because it’s just "not my thing" ut it was an interesting taster.

Dark brown/black body, creamy tan lasting head. Aroma is fresh whiskey and licorice mixed with a type of gueuze and white wine thing. Silky mouthfeel greets the tongue, with a slightly tart and grassy coffee, chocolate and whiskey flavor. As matta suggests... it really is as if they aged it in some kind of white wine casks. But I’d describe it as more of a lambic type of tartness. Initially I liked the flavor, but it could be a little thicker, and it got a little annoying after a while.

I picked this one up when I saw it sitting on the shelf at one of my accounts. I knew I had never seen this Reserve version before, later I found out that it was a special order. I was planning on coming home and drinking it by myself, but later in the day I ended up opening the beer up with another customer at his store.

Poured a stout like body and a fleeting tan head. The aroma was full with rich notes of coffee, figs, and a tart busty chardonnay with an earthy oakyness. It was as if the beer had not been aged in Whisky barrels but rather chardonnay casks. I found a large resemblance to the FishTale Poseidon’s Imperial Stout. Notes of raisins and brown sugar… a hint of buttermilk, not nearly as fruity and sweet as the Non-Reserve. The palate was velvety but dry in the finish. Pretty impressive creation… but no actual whisky suggestions at all. The true tannic oak characteristics came in much stronger.