Ola Dubh - 12 Year Old Special Reserve
Harviestoun in Alva, Clackmannanshire, Scotland 🏴
Traditional Beer - Old Ale Regular|
Score
7.64
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Ola Dubh, meaning ‘Black Oil’ in Gaelic, is craftily created by taking our Old Engine Oil and maturing it in 12 year old Highland Park whisky casks. The process is far from simple, but the result is a beautiful brew with complimentary whisky notes and a chocolate, roasty and bittersweet aftertaste. All thanks to the labour of love of our master brewers.
Brewer’s Notes: Ola Dubh is a labour of love. Everything about it is extreme. The brew team fill the mash tuns to the brim with roast barley, pinhead oats and malted barley. It ferments more slowly as the the yeast struggles to move around in such a viscous beer! The base beer is Old Engine Oil which they then put into Highland Park Whisky casks and it stays there for at least 6 months. During this time the flavours from the wood enter the beer to produce Ola Dubh. It is ready only when our Master Brewer, Stuart, deems it ready!
Brewer’s Notes: Ola Dubh is a labour of love. Everything about it is extreme. The brew team fill the mash tuns to the brim with roast barley, pinhead oats and malted barley. It ferments more slowly as the the yeast struggles to move around in such a viscous beer! The base beer is Old Engine Oil which they then put into Highland Park Whisky casks and it stays there for at least 6 months. During this time the flavours from the wood enter the beer to produce Ola Dubh. It is ready only when our Master Brewer, Stuart, deems it ready!
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7.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Poured from 330mL bottle (bottle #32621; dated Sept 2023; imported to Netherlands and distributed to Japan, and brought to Canada by Peter from his Xmas Japan trip). Very dark brown with minimal off white head. Subdued iodine and peat from the whisky, thinner bodied, feint roast and toffee malt, a little bit underwhelming.
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 Jan 2026
at 04:50
7.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 7.5
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Black color, thin head, sweet bready roasted malt nose with smoky hints. Flavor is very smooth, moderate hops bitterness, excellent rich mouthfeel with well integrated whisky notes in the finish. Earthy, peaty, great match of this beer with smoky whisky.
Tried
from Bottle
on 11 Oct 2025
at 20:14
9/10
Coffee, smoked, bitter and roasted
Tried
on 20 Sep 2025
at 16:20
7.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Poured dark w/ moderate light tannish head. Aroma is smoky peaty scotch type w/chocolate and malts. Taste is got a bit too much whiskey hangover but some nice choc and a nice tangy note too.
Tried
on 20 May 2025
at 00:58
6.6/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Bottle.
A- Dark brown color, dark liquid, minimal head.
A- Malty, cocoa, roasty.
F- Roasty, cocoa, faint smoke.
T- Full body, average texture, average carbonation, roasty finish.
O- Hardly any barrel flavor other than added smoke but is that from smoking the malt or the barrel? Wish there was a lot more scotch influence in this and maybe a touch of sweetness. This tasted like a barrel aged Guinness.
A- Dark brown color, dark liquid, minimal head.
A- Malty, cocoa, roasty.
F- Roasty, cocoa, faint smoke.
T- Full body, average texture, average carbonation, roasty finish.
O- Hardly any barrel flavor other than added smoke but is that from smoking the malt or the barrel? Wish there was a lot more scotch influence in this and maybe a touch of sweetness. This tasted like a barrel aged Guinness.
Tried
from Bottle
on 21 Apr 2025
at 19:38
7.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8.5
Bottle. Deep, dark and creamy thick. Aroma is complex and perfumey. Taste is creamy rich and wonderful.
Tried
from Bottle
on 10 Mar 2025
at 05:58
7.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Wow, very interesting aroma. Lots of soy sauce, and teriyaki beer jerky, with a touch of bitter chocolate, and a hint of smoke. Flavor is smokey, i can taste te whisky, there is some notes of peat, and wood. MOre teriyaki in the finish. Quite interesting. I"M really curious to see how the 16 turns out.
Tried
from Can
on 28 Feb 2025
at 05:08
7.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle from Drankenhandel Leiden. Aroma is dark malt, whiskey, roast, some peat, chocolate, oak, some caramel. Hint of salty liquorice. Flavour is medium sweet with a modest bitterness. Body is medium to full. Balanced and smooth barrel aging the way I like it, very good.
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 Feb 2025
at 14:27
7.9/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 10
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Аромат конечно берет свое от коньяка и виски, мощно сладкие нотки от пряностей, немного карамели, намеки на патоку и кофе, нельзя не отметить много солода. Цвет как масло в двигателе, пены почти нет. Вкус весьма мягкий и не бьет вкусом виски. Снова много пряностей, уже хорошо ощущается кофе и его зерна. При глотке мощный скачок на солод. Сливочность карамели и патоки усиливается. Послевкусие весьма долгое с легкой горчинкой. В целом весьма не дурно, но не претенциозно.
Tried
on 01 Feb 2025
at 11:32