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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7.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Draft at Taps Beer Bar, Changkat, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia @ 11%. Poured almost black in colour with a thin off-white head. The aroma is big roasted malt and molasses. The flavour is moderate liquorice bitter, with a smooth, rich, oily, molasses, earthy, herbal, light chocolate, warm boozy liquorice bitter palate. Full bodied with flat carbonation. Nice end to the evening.
Tried
from Draft
on 11 Aug 2024
at 16:18
7.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
(bottle 0,33l from topvino.cz online shop; batch February 21) Overall: Nice complex aroma. Good. Aroma: Sweet, chocolate, dark malts, dark sugar, wood, light smoked, spicy, vanilla. Appearance: Black color. Quickly done, pale brown head. Taste: Medium sweet, malt, chocolate, peat smoke, wood, vanilla. Palate: Medium body. Roasty-dry finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 26 Jun 2024
at 19:37
7.6/10
World class classic porter with the whiskey twist. Great beer. Dry, crisp, drinkable. Sterk ams
Tried
on 22 Feb 2024
at 00:09
7.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Chub can (8.45oz) canned at OEC/B. United, undated, drunk 11/10/23. Clear, dark soy with burgundy tints. Small, tan head quickly runs for the edges. Maple, molasses, treacle, soy, light vanilla and a hint of whiskey. These things never have too much of the whiskey but I guess that's the price paid for large quantities. Some nice dark berries and not much prune, thankfully. No booze. Spicy finish with baker's chocolate and deep black pepper. Tobacco, ash, oxidation, soy, very fruity with caramel and dark fruits exploding on the ash-littered finish. Again, not enough whiskey to entice and too much dark fruit. Body is medium-full, I wouldn't say all that rich or motor oil-like, though at least it's not thin. I suppose it is only 8% after all.
Tried
from Can
on 10 Nov 2023
at 23:39
7.5/10
Tried
on 11 Jun 2023
at 16:42
7.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Brown bottle, 330 ml, bottle 06665, bottled in July 2020, best before July 2022, purchased at LCBO - Rideau on December 2, 2020, savoured on February 14, 2023; eye: black, opaque, no effervescence, voluminous brown head that holds, no lacing; nose: cherry (?), malt, alcohol, wild yeasts, acidity, sourness, roast, aniseed; mouth: malt, roast, alcohol, light whisky, aniseed, fruity, light sourish, finale in whisky with presence of roast, medium body, good carbonation, lightly sweet, frothy texture; in summary: fine FRANÇAIS
Bouteille brune, 330 ml, bouteille 06665, embouteillée en juillet 2020, meilleure avant juillet 2022, achetée à la LCBO - Rideau le 2 décembre 2020, savourée le 14 février 2023; œil : noire, opaque, pas d’effervescence, volumineuse mousse brune qui se maintient, pas de dentelle; nez : cerise (?), malt, alcool, levures sauvages, acidité, légère aigreur, torréfaction, anis; bouche : malt, torréfaction, alcool, léger whisky, anis, fruité, léger aigrelet, finale en whisky avec présence de torréfaction, corps moyen, bonne carbonatation, légèrement sucrée, texture mousseuse; en résumé : bien
Bouteille brune, 330 ml, bouteille 06665, embouteillée en juillet 2020, meilleure avant juillet 2022, achetée à la LCBO - Rideau le 2 décembre 2020, savourée le 14 février 2023; œil : noire, opaque, pas d’effervescence, volumineuse mousse brune qui se maintient, pas de dentelle; nez : cerise (?), malt, alcool, levures sauvages, acidité, légère aigreur, torréfaction, anis; bouche : malt, torréfaction, alcool, léger whisky, anis, fruité, léger aigrelet, finale en whisky avec présence de torréfaction, corps moyen, bonne carbonatation, légèrement sucrée, texture mousseuse; en résumé : bien
Tried
from Bottle
on 14 Feb 2023
at 22:18
8.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Draft at 'Derde Waogeningse Beer Geeks Meeting: the new years edition', January 21, 2023. 10.5%. Color: Black. Aroma: Roasted malt, dark chocolate, mocha, vanilla, subtle Whisky. Taste: Dark roasted malt, fruity notes of dark fruit and some red fruit hints, notes of dark and mild chocolate, vanilla, oak, Whisky, bit boozy, subtle toffee, licorice and light hints of smoke, peat. Quite smooth and very well balanced. Over medium to full body, quite low carbonation. Moderate to over moderate sweet and bitter. Very nice.
Tried
from Draft
on 22 Jan 2023
at 20:37
8/10
0,33 litre Bottle, from Vinmonopolet Rudshøgda. Almost Black with little head. Roasted malts, whiskey, coffee, Chocolate, oak, barrell, sweetness. Nice one!
Tried
from Bottle
on 30 Dec 2022
at 21:42
8.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 8
330ml bottle as part on an online order from Beers of Europe and drunk at home. Very dark brown with almost no light getting through. A ring of beige/khaki head. Smells of thick caramel, coffee, plums, ash. Sweet but balanced taste, plenty of vanilla, milky coffee, peaty whisky. Bitterness in the finish. Body is thick and oily with little carbonation. An absolute joy.
Tried
from Bottle
on 26 Nov 2022
at 22:33
7/10
Matured in whisky barrels, rich and smoky!
Tried
from Bottle
on 09 Oct 2022
at 21:17