Ola Dubh - 21 Year Old Special Reserve
Harviestoun in Alva, Clackmannanshire, Scotland 🏴
Traditional Beer - Old Ale Regular|
Score
7.53
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We make Ola Dubh 21 by taking our Old Engine Oil (amped up to 10.5%) and aging it for up to 6 months in casks that previously held Highland Park’s phenomenal 21 Year Old single malt whisky.
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 21 Year Old Single Malt Whisky, adding complementary whisky notes to our chocolatey, bittersweet beer.
Ola Dubh 21 pours deep brown with a burgundy flush and a head the colour of milled oatmeal. On the nose it has gently-finessed top notes of fresh heather and honey, subtly toasted malts and vanilla with balancing hints of red fruits and a distant, beguiling smoke. The flavour has elegantly-subtle developing wine-like notes; from bitter chocolate and espresso beans into to a sustained, oaked conclusion. Extended, oaky finish with pine resin, juniper, perfumed honey and traces of peat.
Hops: East Kent Goldings, Fuggles, Galena
Malts: Lager Malt, Pinhead Oats, Roast Barley
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 21 Year Old Single Malt Whisky, adding complementary whisky notes to our chocolatey, bittersweet beer.
Ola Dubh 21 pours deep brown with a burgundy flush and a head the colour of milled oatmeal. On the nose it has gently-finessed top notes of fresh heather and honey, subtly toasted malts and vanilla with balancing hints of red fruits and a distant, beguiling smoke. The flavour has elegantly-subtle developing wine-like notes; from bitter chocolate and espresso beans into to a sustained, oaked conclusion. Extended, oaky finish with pine resin, juniper, perfumed honey and traces of peat.
Hops: East Kent Goldings, Fuggles, Galena
Malts: Lager Malt, Pinhead Oats, Roast Barley
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7.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
(bottle) lear, bright dark brown colour with a small brown head; rich aroma of wet wood, brown sugar, whiskey; lean, balanced flavour
Tried
from Bottle
on 06 Jun 2015
at 17:51
9/10
Super!
Tried
on 26 May 2015
at 21:04
6.4/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
Bottle 330ml @ Sommerhus
Pours dark brown with a few off-white bubbles. Aroma has notes of malt, caramel, oak, alcohol, biscuit and smoke. Taste is medium sweet and light bitter with a long warm, biscuit, caramel and oak finish: Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft.
Pours dark brown with a few off-white bubbles. Aroma has notes of malt, caramel, oak, alcohol, biscuit and smoke. Taste is medium sweet and light bitter with a long warm, biscuit, caramel and oak finish: Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft.
Tried
from Bottle
on 26 May 2015
at 14:45
8.3/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 6
Overall 9
Bottle shared. Black with small beige head that’s mainly some big bubbles. Licorice, soft smoky wood, light whisky, caramel, vanilla, roasted nuts. Quite soft and subtle earth, peat, disintegrated wood, syrup. Very nice and complex aromas work well with the light sweetness and soft roasted bitter finish. Medium bodied with soft carbonation. Great, the best of the series for me so far.
Tried
from Bottle
on 26 May 2015
at 14:04
7.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
330 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 8%. Pitch black colour, moderate to low tan head. Very nice aroma of oak, vanilla, chocolate, coffee and whisky. Medium dry flavour, notes of oak, tar, ashes, whisky, smoke, coffee, vanilla and dark chocolate. Good stuff.
Tried
from Bottle
on 24 May 2015
at 06:16
6.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
10.05.2015, 0,33l bottle @ home:
Small light brown creamy mediumlasting head. Aroma is mild and slightly sweet, caramel, leather, dark malts, oak, chocolate, coffee, nuts, grass, grain, hints of peat. Taste is slightly dry, hay, peat, dark malts, leather, sour coffee, caramel, minerals, oak, weeds. Medium bitterness, slightly dry mouthfeel. Nice enough.
Small light brown creamy mediumlasting head. Aroma is mild and slightly sweet, caramel, leather, dark malts, oak, chocolate, coffee, nuts, grass, grain, hints of peat. Taste is slightly dry, hay, peat, dark malts, leather, sour coffee, caramel, minerals, oak, weeds. Medium bitterness, slightly dry mouthfeel. Nice enough.
Tried
from Bottle
on 10 May 2015
at 15:20
7.2/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottle: Poured a dark brown color ale with a medium size light brown foamy head with good retention and some light lacing notes. Aroma of light scotch notes with some toffee and light brown sugar notes is quite enticing. Taste is also dominated by toffee notes with some residual candi sugar balanced against some great scotch notes. Body is maybe thinner than I would have expected with some good carbonation and no apparent alcohol. Not as complex as I was expecting but still very enjoyable.
Tried
from Bottle
on 30 Mar 2015
at 12:48
7.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle 330ml. [ As Harviestoun Ola Dubh (21 Year Old) ].Clear dark red brown color with a average to large, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, beige head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, roasted, chocolate, peat, wood, oak. Flavour is moderate to heavy sweet and bitter with a long duration, roasted - wood bitter, roasted, chocolate, malt sweet, woody - peated. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft to flat, finish feel is light light alcoholic. [20141227]
Tried
from Bottle
on 10 Mar 2015
at 11:42
8.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
330 ml bottle into snifter; bottle # 05043, bottled in 4/2014. Pours fairly pitch black color with a 1 finger dense tan head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass. Aromas of chocolate, cocoa, toast, dark bread, leather, tobacco, peat smoke, oak, light dark fruit, and roast/smokey earthiness. Damn nice aromas with good balance and complexity of roast/bready malt and scotch barrel notes; with good strength. Taste of big chocolate, cocoa, toast, dark bread, leather, tobacco, peat smoke, oak, light dark fruit, light vanilla, and roast/smokey earthiness. Light roast/oaky bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of chocolate, cocoa, toast, dark bread, leather, tobacco, peat smoke, oak, light dark fruit/vanilla, and roast/smokey earthiness on the finish for a while. Damn nice balance, complexity, and robustness of roast/bready malt and scotch barrel flavors; with a nice roasted bitterness/sweetness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light carbonation and medium bodied; with a very smooth, fairly creamy, and lightly chalky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a light warming present after the finish. Overall this is an excellent old ale style. All around great complexity and balance of roast/bready malt and scotch barrel flavors; and very smooth to sip on. An interesting note about this vintage is it is much bolder on peat smoke and earthy leather/tobacco notes than the younger scotch vintages. A very enjoyable offering.
Tried
from Bottle
on 21 Feb 2015
at 20:41
8/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Old Ale, Bottle #3182, april 2014. schenkt zwart met mooie bruine kraag. Aroma van gebrande mouten, chocolade, koffie, toffee, whisky, vanille. Smaken zijn redelijk zoet, matig bitter, zeer sterk, donkere fruiten, sterke moutigheid van gebrande en geroosterde mout, toffe, chocoalde, vanille, whisky, caramel. iets scherps maar verder héérlijk. medium body, romig van textuur, uitstekend bier ! --- Beer merged from original tick of Ola Dubh 21 Year Special Reserve on 18 May 2018 at 09:52 - Score: 8
Tried
from Bottle
on 10 Feb 2015
at 14:40