Ola Dubh - 30 Year Old Special Reserve
Harviestoun in Alva, Clackmannanshire, Scotland 🏴
Traditional Beer - Old Ale Regular|
Score
7.89
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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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6.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Flaske 0,33l fra juletilbudet hos Alko Arkadia 2009. Beksvart. OK farget kremaktig skum. God whisky-aroma. Whiskyen danner et bakteppe for ellers vel integrerte smaker hvor lakris er mest framtredende. Ikke særlig variert. KI=4.
Tried
on 14 Nov 2010
at 06:27
8.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 9
Cask@The Rake. Pitch black colour, small brown head. Aroma is mild smooth whisky along with caramel malts, some wooden notes as well as vanilla and some mild toasted notes. Flavour is whisky, wooden notes, vanilla, mild fruityness, roast and some slight alcohol as well. Extremely pleasantly balanced and drinkable.
Tried
from Cask
on 23 Aug 2010
at 21:05
7.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8.5
pitch dark, smooth light brown head. aroma of licorice, wood, roasted stuff, peat smoke, very faint boozy. fantastic aroma. flavor is roasted stuff, faint brown sugar, very faint chocolate, faint peat smoke, wood, whisky. very delicious.
Tried
on 04 Jul 2010
at 12:39
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
(Bottle, purchased at Royal Mile Whiskies, London) Black colour with frothy, beige head. Malty nose with notes of strong black coffee, dark chocolate, cocoa, dark fruit, prunes and woody hints of whisky. Malty, roasted taste with sweet black coffee, cocoa, dark chocolate, liquorice, dried fruit and hints of whisky and oak. Full body, smooth and rounded mouthfeel, fairly sweet. Alcohol well hidden. Yet another Ola Dubh in perfect balance and harmony. Excellent wood ageing. Lovely beer!
Tried
from Bottle
on 16 Jun 2010
at 13:37
6.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottle #21939:
Colour is black, head is small. Strong whisky aroma: tar, iodine and some vanilla. Body is surprisingly thin. Flavour is tar, iodine and peat. Warming finish.
Colour is black, head is small. Strong whisky aroma: tar, iodine and some vanilla. Body is surprisingly thin. Flavour is tar, iodine and peat. Warming finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Mar 2010
at 10:36
7/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottle, Carringtons, Manchester. Poured deep dark brown with a small quickly fading tan head. Aroma was sweetish and quite strong with notes of vanilla, chocolate, molasses, whisky, peat, and dark fruit. Flavor was sweet roasty malt, molasses, booze, chocolate, vanilla and whisky. Enjoyable enough but lacking the killer blow in terms of body and flavour. Packaging a wee bit over the top as is the pricetag imo too.
Tried
from Bottle
on 02 Mar 2010
at 14:17
7.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8
CASK @ guilford solid black ...bubbly tan head ...light sweet toffee ... soft vanilla toffee roast ... def whisky linger ... rich soft deep ... little meaty Bat. Deep black... Light. Whisky... Solid riast dark malts.. Sift smooth silky body.. Mellow roast... Nice 4.1 Cask at ushers... Dark black.. Thin tan lacing.. Soft sweet chocolate roast.. Dark malts big soft whisky.. Light iodine nose.. Quite smoke.. Dark sweet malts.. Big iodine.. Dark chocolate roast
Tried
from Cask
on 04 Feb 2010
at 05:02
8.5/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 9
Bottle 2010-01-30, Göteborg AR: vanilla, coffee, chocolate, whet, raspberry jam AP: soot black, dark brown head looks likes there are chocolate bits in there F: vanilla, coffey, chocolate, slightly salty, tare. Flavor is sweeter in higher temperature , bitter, a touch of butter scotch or heather honey
Tried
from Bottle
on 30 Jan 2010
at 17:11
8.1/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle from Chevy Chase, Washington DC; bottled Sept 2007, 2 years old
parallel tasting with Ola Dubh 40 years old
Black color; beige creamy head. Already from the bottle it’s possible to notice a whisky aroma; it has a very good, yet not strong, aroma of roasted malt, chocolate, a bit creamy, with hints of vanilla, wood and whisky; more intriguing than in the other version.
It has a lean body, but well structured; the chocolate flavor is in the front, with late caramel and wood; there is some residual sweetness, with light liquorice and light whisky.
The final is balanced, mellower than the flavor, with the liquorice and whisky more evident. The alcohol is only warming the mouth, not evident. After some time in the glass, it’s less biting and more plain than the 40 years. Yet interesting.
parallel tasting with Ola Dubh 40 years old
Black color; beige creamy head. Already from the bottle it’s possible to notice a whisky aroma; it has a very good, yet not strong, aroma of roasted malt, chocolate, a bit creamy, with hints of vanilla, wood and whisky; more intriguing than in the other version.
It has a lean body, but well structured; the chocolate flavor is in the front, with late caramel and wood; there is some residual sweetness, with light liquorice and light whisky.
The final is balanced, mellower than the flavor, with the liquorice and whisky more evident. The alcohol is only warming the mouth, not evident. After some time in the glass, it’s less biting and more plain than the 40 years. Yet interesting.
Tried
from Bottle
on 19 Jan 2010
at 14:38
8/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle from the Libation Station in Johnson City, TN. Pours an oily black color with a moderate fizzy brown head. Fair head retention and lacing. Nice rich malty aroma with notes of caramel, smoke, leather, coconut, vanilla, whisky. Taste is smoke, leather, chocolate, vanilla, toffee and a bitter hop finish. Smooth. Medium bodied.
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 Dec 2009
at 23:28