Ola Dubh - 30 Year Old Special Reserve
Harviestoun in Alva, Clackmannanshire, Scotland 🏴
Traditional Beer - Old Ale Regular|
Score
7.90
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This beer is 8% ABV in bottle, 10.5% in cask and keg.
We make Ola Dubh 30 by taking our Old Engine Oil (amped up to 10.5%) and aging it for up to 6 months in casks that previously held Highland Park’s phenomenal 30 Year Old single malt whisky.
Ola Dubh (pronounced ‘ola-doo’ and Gaelic for ‘black oil’) was conceived in 2007. It was the first ale to be matured in whisky barrels from a named distillery and, with traceable casks and numbered bottles, it is a beer with real provenance.
This amazing brew has been aged in selected oak casks formerly used to mature Highland Park 30 Year Old Single Malt Whisky, adding complementary whisky notes to our chocolatey, bittersweet beer.
Ola Dubh 30 pours deep brown with a burgundy flush and a head the colour of milled oatmeal. On the nose it has gently-finessed top notes of fresh heather and honey, subtly toasted malts and vanilla with balancing hints of red fruits and a distant, beguiling smoke. The flavour has elegantly-subtle developing wine-like notes; from bitter chocolate and espresso beans into to a sustained, oaked conclusion. Extended, oaky finish with pine resin, juniper, perfumed honey and traces of peat.
HOPS: Galena, East Kent Goldings, Fuggles
MALTS: Roast barley, oats
We make Ola Dubh 30 by taking our Old Engine Oil (amped up to 10.5%) and aging it for up to 6 months in casks that previously held Highland Park’s phenomenal 30 Year Old single malt whisky.
Ola Dubh (pronounced ‘ola-doo’ and Gaelic for ‘black oil’) was conceived in 2007. It was the first ale to be matured in whisky barrels from a named distillery and, with traceable casks and numbered bottles, it is a beer with real provenance.
This amazing brew has been aged in selected oak casks formerly used to mature Highland Park 30 Year Old Single Malt Whisky, adding complementary whisky notes to our chocolatey, bittersweet beer.
Ola Dubh 30 pours deep brown with a burgundy flush and a head the colour of milled oatmeal. On the nose it has gently-finessed top notes of fresh heather and honey, subtly toasted malts and vanilla with balancing hints of red fruits and a distant, beguiling smoke. The flavour has elegantly-subtle developing wine-like notes; from bitter chocolate and espresso beans into to a sustained, oaked conclusion. Extended, oaky finish with pine resin, juniper, perfumed honey and traces of peat.
HOPS: Galena, East Kent Goldings, Fuggles
MALTS: Roast barley, oats
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7/10
—
Appearance 7
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 7
Overall 7
Refrigerated 11.2 oz brown bottle poured into a glass. Black with small beige head. Aroma is wood, medium body, low carbonation, and some lacing. Taste is malt, wood, and a little whiskey.
Tried
from Bottle
on 17 Jan 2026
at 02:58
7/10
—
Appearance 7
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 7
Overall 7
Bottle.
A- Dark brown color, dark liquid, minimal fizzy head.
A- Caramel, toast, faint port, heathered honey.
F- Dried leaves, caramel, treacle, malty, faint peat, slightest charred bitterness.
T- Medium body, slightly thin texture, average carbonation, slightly oily finish.
O- The 12 was okay, the 16 was great, the 18 was outstanding, and then the 30 fell short. Little peat and pretty one dimensional. 5 years of age. Just didn't get much scotch influence in this one. Does get better as it warms.
A- Dark brown color, dark liquid, minimal fizzy head.
A- Caramel, toast, faint port, heathered honey.
F- Dried leaves, caramel, treacle, malty, faint peat, slightest charred bitterness.
T- Medium body, slightly thin texture, average carbonation, slightly oily finish.
O- The 12 was okay, the 16 was great, the 18 was outstanding, and then the 30 fell short. Little peat and pretty one dimensional. 5 years of age. Just didn't get much scotch influence in this one. Does get better as it warms.
Tried
from Bottle
on 16 Jan 2026
at 22:50
7.9/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Jet black pour, huge aroma of oak, vanilla, and some light custard/fruitness. Flavor is very roasty and laced with burnt malt and coffee. The finish is lightly bitter with coffee notes.
Tried
on 28 Feb 2025
at 05:25
7.3/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 7
Overall 7.5
Dark brown. No head, of course. Smells like that rich umami creosote sort of dark malt tamari. Big whiskey on that, too. I mean, Highland Park, that's nice stuff. The body is light, maybe a bit of papery note because it is quite old. I'm guessing it's past its prime, but there still some cool elements here, especially the bit of dark malt and the substantial whisky accent.
Tried
from Bottle
from
Bottleworks
on 14 Feb 2025
at 05:33
7.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Poured from 330mL bottle (bottle #02942; Sept 2007). Very dark brown with minimal light tan head. Underlying peat and whiskey, feint oxidation, decent.
Tried
from Bottle
on 14 Feb 2025
at 05:25
6/10
Thx, Josh!
Oxidation that's getting into a tomato sauce territory, some pear and soy sauce. Taste is along the same lines, low carbonation. Meh.
7☆4☆7☆3☆13》34
Oxidation that's getting into a tomato sauce territory, some pear and soy sauce. Taste is along the same lines, low carbonation. Meh.
7☆4☆7☆3☆13》34
Tried
from Bottle
on 13 Feb 2025
at 21:34
bl
Tried
on 04 May 2022
at 16:42
6.9/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
330cl bottle from Boise Co-op. Dark brown pour, a few bubbles. Malty aroma, brown sugar, molasses, oak. Taste is cola, malty, light sweetness, faint whiskey notes, leather, dry. A bit underwhelming, but good
Tried
from Bottle
on 11 Apr 2022
at 03:14
7.1/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle 14348, picked up years ago via Braufactum, galeria kaufhof I think. Jet black with a minimal head. Aroma of whisky malt. Flavour is warm fruit booze, dark fruit, whisky, warm malt fruit finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 26 Jan 2020
at 02:17
9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 10
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
Bottle from Solan, thanks! Almost black and opague. oak and peat, but also cream and dark chocolate in the aroma. Malty sweet flavor with initial caramel and chocolate, overpowered by peat, oak, single malt whisky notes, cacao and grapes. A marvel of balance in aroma and flavor. Loved it, but this beer is just a bit too thin to be closer to perfection.
Tried
from Bottle
on 26 Aug 2019
at 12:07