Ola Dubh - 12 Year Old Special Reserve
(has 2 batches)
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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9/10
Mooi soepel en gebalanceerd, drinkt zoals je een goede wijn drinkt ofzo. | [2018-07-07 19:17:57] - Locatie: Tolstoistraat - Score: 4.1 - Comment: At Little Kim’s birthday bash in Zaandam. Dark brown with light tan head. Sweet roasted chocolate malts, moccha, light vanilla, cinnamon. Big sweet and moderate bitter. Full body and soft carbonation. Creamy soft icecreamy feel.
Tried
on 27 Dec 2014
at 18:51
8.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottle from MisoW and Beersiveknown, many thanks Steve. Almost black color with medium beige head. Dark malt, peat, chocolate, coffee, notes of old cheese. Taste, dark malt, cream, dark chocolate, peat, notes of old cheese. Peated notes in finish. Tasty.
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 Dec 2014
at 12:53
7.4/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Imported from my RateBeer account as Harviestoun Ola Dubh (12 Year Old) (by Harviestoun Brewery):
Aroma: 7/10, Appearance: 3/5, Taste: 8/10, Palate: 4/5, Overall: 15/20, MyTotalScore: 3.7/5
24/X/14 - 33cl bottle from Bierhalle Deconinck (Vichte) @ home - BB: IX/2016 (2014-1245) Thanks to Erwin for sharing the bottle!
Clear dark brown to black beer, small aery beige head, little stable, bit adhesive. aroma: very cheesy, dried figs, caramel, whisky notes, bit sweet, cocoa powder, dark chocolate. MF: ok carbon, medium body. taste: bit sourish (carbon?), slightly peated, smoky, very roasted, bitter, cocoa powder. Aftertaste: little peated, hoppy, caramel, mocha, coffee.
Aroma: 7/10, Appearance: 3/5, Taste: 8/10, Palate: 4/5, Overall: 15/20, MyTotalScore: 3.7/5
24/X/14 - 33cl bottle from Bierhalle Deconinck (Vichte) @ home - BB: IX/2016 (2014-1245) Thanks to Erwin for sharing the bottle!
Clear dark brown to black beer, small aery beige head, little stable, bit adhesive. aroma: very cheesy, dried figs, caramel, whisky notes, bit sweet, cocoa powder, dark chocolate. MF: ok carbon, medium body. taste: bit sourish (carbon?), slightly peated, smoky, very roasted, bitter, cocoa powder. Aftertaste: little peated, hoppy, caramel, mocha, coffee.
Tried
from Bottle
on 24 Oct 2014
at 13:04
7.5/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8
Sampled @ Finest Spirits and Beer Convention Bochum 2014: Sehr dunkelbraunes Bier mit sehr wenig beigem Schaum. Geruch kräftig röstmalzig, Kaffee, leicht holzig. Geschmack torfig, Karamell, Schokolade, reife Früchte.
Tried
on 19 Oct 2014
at 07:39
8/10
—
Appearance 4
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 6
Overall 9
Old Engine Oil matured on Scottish 12-year Highland Park barrels, sold in a thrilling vintage series. Thin, unstable, light beige head, very dark brown colour, hazy. Powerful ’old’ aroma of old madera, dry sherry, soy sauce, caramel, candied dates, dried plums, a fair amount of peated whisky covering it all, some cherries, caramel... Complex taste of candied fruits and caramel malts, chocolatey too, strong dry and old sherry character, smoky like the base beer, complex finish with warming alcohol and a clear and somewhat dominant, but not disturbing, warming and not astringent peated whisky character. Lovely, complex, vinous and woody old ale, especially if you are into the best of Scottish single malts; I had other whisky barrel aged beers before in which the whisky was quite obnoxious and overpowering the beer, but though very much present in aroma and taste, in this case it is so elegant and refined that it only adds complexity to an already excellent old ale. Fascinating and probably good for ageing a long time as well. Love the aristocratic, old school bottle as well.
Tried
from Can
on 25 Aug 2014
at 13:11
9.2/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 10
Texture 10
Overall 9
Bottle No. 45787. Feb. 2012. Swietny wyrob. Destylowana 12 letnia Whisky Highland Park oddala temu piwu nieco karmelowego posmagu kandyzowanego brazowego cukru a takze nieco smolistego aromatu. Dymnosci, grilowego dymu oraz wedonej szynki. Wszystko doskonale zbalansowane i uzupelniajace sie. Piana niewielka do sredniej gora wielkosci, ale nie o to w tym piwie chodzilo. To stare Ale jest czarne niczym zuzyty olej samochodowy, rozgrzana smola i posmak wedzonego drewna. Beczkowy aromat zbozowy jest tak wyrazny ze mozna chlonac go nosem do upadlego. Kolejny swietny klasyk od Harviestoun Brewery..
Tried
from Bottle
on 17 Aug 2014
at 01:22