Ola Dubh - 40 Year Old Special Reserve
Harviestoun in Alva, Clackmannanshire, Scotland 🏴
Traditional Beer - Old Ale Regular Out of Production|
Score
7.79
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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.
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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8.8/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 9
330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Bottle No. 40857, January 2009. ABV is 8.0%. Pitch black colour, big tan head. Intense and lovely aroma of fine malt whisky, notes of oak and peat, hints of vanilla and dark chocolate. Strong flavour of dark malts and fine whisky, peaty and oaky notes, also notes of coffee, hints of liquorice and tar. Moderate bitterness in the finish. Pretty brilliant stuff.
Tried
from Bottle
on 20 Sep 2009
at 11:30
6.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottle at fins ... deep black ... big coconut and spirit nose ... big iodine and roast mlats ... light smoke. 3.2 Bottle at home ... nov 2014 ... dark black ,.. thin tan lacing ... dark sweet malts .. soft meaty malts .. soft roast ... soft chocolatr roast ... dark sweet malts .. but big oxidised fruits .. big blackcurrant .. soft whisky3.9
Tried
from Bottle
on 17 Aug 2009
at 07:51
7.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8.5
Bottle. Blackish beer with a slight tan head. Rich whiskey aroma with peat/smoked malts and light toffee. Whiskey and peat/smoked flavor with caramel and light oak. Medium-plus bodied. peat/smoke lingers with whiskey, toffee, oak, and light chocolate.
Tried
from Bottle
on 14 Aug 2009
at 13:24
7.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle that Craig brought along to Fin and Craigs pre Cropredy Festival mini tasting at Merton, Oxon 12-08-09 Pours black with no head actually on second glance there is a beige bubbling around the rim. Soft whisky aroma with hints of vanilla and a creamy waft. I get dark sugars first, this is soft in the mouth but the ale flavours ride through first and are just complimented by the nice softened whisky attributes. Its dark bitter, a touch sticky, good stuff, vanilla and smooth creaminess only enhance what is a decent drop. A7 A4 F7 P4 Ov15 3.7
Tried
from Bottle
on 13 Aug 2009
at 01:15
7.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottled@Tuulensuu. Pitch black colour, small brown head. Aroma is oak, vanilla, roasted malts, mild peat and smoke and also some alcohol Funny thing, this one burns a lot more in the flavour than the 18, even though I had them side by side. Usually whiskies melloww out by the tiime... 40 might be a lot fuller, the 18 is much more in balance.
Tried
from Bottle
on 23 Jul 2009
at 17:56
7.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7
(Bottle #42262 at Kaisla, Helsinki, on 2009-07-03) Deep dark brown and clear. Small tan coloured head. Raisin, roastedness, coffee and liquorice in aroma. Full bodied and dry palate with medium carbonation. Roastedness, whisky, ash, alcohol, salt water, bitterness, coffee and chocolate in taste. Ash and whisky in aftertaste.
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 Jul 2009
at 03:09
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Expensive little 12 oz at $20.50. Bottle number 56319. Pours with a tan head over a very dark brown near black body. Aroma is awesome with tons of Scotch, peat, soaked wooden notes, brown sugar, smoke and beef jerky. Taste is minerally with chocolate, peat, smoke, dryness, burnt caramel, and low residual sugars. Creamy carbonation and mouthfeel. Technically excellent, but I don’t think I will be buying it again. Wish it had more residual sugars.
Tried
from Bottle
on 30 Jun 2009
at 01:49
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottled, Beer Hunters (#41366, Jan 2009). Opaque black/brown color, small brown head. Very similar aroma than in Ola Dubh 30: licorice, oak and vanilla - slightly more vanilla than in Ola Dubh 30. Medium to full bodied - more robust than Dubh 30. Soft palate, whicky, licorice, oak-wood, sweetish vanilla. Balanced and highly drinkable barrel aged beer.
Tried
from Bottle
on 28 Jun 2009
at 04:26