Harviestoun Ola Dubh - 40 Year Old Special Reserve

Ola Dubh - 40 Year Old Special Reserve

 

Harviestoun in Alva, Clackmannanshire, Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

  Traditional Beer - Old Ale Regular Out of Production
Score
7.79
ABV: 10.5% IBU: 40 Ticks: 87
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 40 Year Old Single Malt Whisky, adding complementary whisky notes to our chocolatey, bittersweet beer.
 

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8/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8
Bottle 330ml @ Geokkjer
Pours black with a tan head. Aroma has notes of roasted malt, chocolate, caramel, dreid fruits, ash and wood and vanilla, Taste is medium sweet and medium bitter with a long wood, chocolate, roasted finish. Body is full, texture is oily, carbonation is soft.
Tried from Bottle on 29 Jun 2013 at 13:51

8.6/10 Appearance 10 Aroma 9 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8.5
Rating number 4000 +++ Sampled from an 11.2 oz brown bottle this beer poured thick, black and oily with a small foamy dark brown head that left decent lacing. the aroma was strong coconut, vanilla, cocoa, vague dark fruits and a touch of anise. The flavor was richly malty with notes of smoke, hickory, toasted malts, wood, chocolate syrup and anise. Medium length rich malty and woody finish with lingering chocolate and anise. Full bodied and smooth. A bit boozy. Very nice.
Tried from Bottle on 29 May 2013 at 13:25

8.3/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 9 Texture 8 Overall 9
Bottle at the John=Jim Den Haag tasting, Den Haag. Poured a dark mahogany pour with a thin broken tan head. The aroma is rich and alcoholic. The flavour follows the aroma, with loads of peat, liqourice, dark chocolate,lots of alcohol and oak. A truly awesome beer !
Tried from Bottle on 12 Apr 2013 at 13:42

9.1/10 Appearance 9 Aroma 9 Flavor 9.5 Texture 9 Overall 9
12/12/2012 330ml bottle. Nera, liquorosa, quasi impenetrabile, riflessi color caffè, schiuma color beige, leggera e poco persistente. Aroma straordinariamente intenso di vaniglia, cioccolato, malti tostati, whisky torbato. In bocca è meno esplosiva, dolciastra, cioccolato, leggero torbato, non invadente, ha un corpo medio, molto scorrevole al palato, la carbonazione è quasi assente. Un vero capolavoro al confronto di altre birre sullo stesso stile decisamente più grezze.
Tried from Bottle on 13 Dec 2012 at 14:56

8.1/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8.5
Bottle (#25173, August 2010). Thanks Nick! It pours very dark brown, near black with a thin light tan head. The nose is roasted malt, chocolate, oak, vanilla, light smoke, earth, light whisky and charred wood. The taste is roasted malt, toast, chocolate, mellow whisky, oak, earth, ash, vanilla, warming alcohol, some smoke, liquorice and light iodine with a long dry, roasty finish. Medium-full body and moderate carbonation. Very well balanced. Complex and flavoursome, yet smooth and mellow. Does not disappoint.
Tried from Bottle on 09 Nov 2012 at 13:34

7.6/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 7.5
Bottle sample at a tasting at Ariel’s place. Thanks zvikar. Very dark brown to black with a beige to light brown head. Aroma of whiskey, smoked wood, chocolate, some roastiness and a fruity hint. Sweetish flavor with some roastiness, chocolate notes, light fruity notes, smoke, wood and s dry finish, slightly burnt. Medium to full-bodied. Very good stuff.
Tried from Bottle on 11 Aug 2012 at 05:04

7.8/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 7
18th December 2009
Opaque black beer. Unsweet chocolate and a little whisky on the nose. Softish palate, semi dry. Fresh minerally malt with unsweet chocolate. Rich whisky is loud and clear! Feels like a stout with whisky added rather than barrel aged! Soft, creamy - well joined up. Delicious. Head and shoulders above the other Ola Dubh’s.
Tried on 04 Jun 2012 at 05:10

8/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8
33cl bottle (#10960) shared with Dutchdrebus. Pitch black color with a small light brown head. Smell malts, whisky, some wood and roastyness. Taste malts, lightly roastyness, lightly whisky and wood, slightly alcohol in the finish. A bit thin texture, medium body, medium carbo. Not as good as expected. Re-rate without a full comment. Loved it this time. Original rating: 7-3-7-3-13.
Tried from Bottle on 05 Apr 2012 at 14:31

6/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 6 Flavor 6 Texture 4 Overall 6
Pitch black, opague colour with a small light brown head. Smells sweet, flowers, wood, whisky, some chocolate. Tastes chocolate, whisky, a lot of liquorice and wood. A bit thin for its abv, watery, okay carbo.
Tried on 05 Apr 2012 at 14:30

7.4/10 Appearance 10 Aroma 6 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 7.5
330ml bottle, no. 38858, bought at Ølbutikken in Copenhagen almost two years ago. Pretty to look at with its black foil around the neck, tan-coloured head and jet black body. Sweet malty nose, woody and with whisky undertones. Malt and vanilla oak flavour with smooth whisky notes beneath. Warming alcohol. Works fine for me (shared with Finn, Tromsø 12.01.2012).
Tried from Bottle on 19 Jan 2012 at 12:04