Harviestoun Ola Dubh (16 Year Old)
Ola Dubh (or ‘Black Oil’) is a collaboration between Harviestoun Brewery and Highland Park, Distiller of the Year*. It is based on Harviestoun’s award-winning Old Engine Oil. With more than a stylistic nod to the classic Imperial Porters (and Stouts) of the nineteenth century, this deliciously rich, dark, 8% a.b.v. beer is the first ale to be aged in malt whisky casks from a named distillery and, with traceable casks and numbered bottles, the rest with genuine provenance.
Ola Dubh will initially be available in three different expressions; the initial release will be of small batches aged in casks formerly used to mature Highland Park 12 Year Old, Highland Park 16 Year
Old and Highland Park 30 Year Old. Further variants are planned for the future. Ola Dubh is, in the words of beer afficionado Owen D.L. Barstow: “The most interesting new British beer I have tried in years.”
Ola Dubh will initially be available in three different expressions; the initial release will be of small batches aged in casks formerly used to mature Highland Park 12 Year Old, Highland Park 16 Year
Old and Highland Park 30 Year Old. Further variants are planned for the future. Ola Dubh is, in the words of beer afficionado Owen D.L. Barstow: “The most interesting new British beer I have tried in years.”
3.9
840 reviews
Alva, Stirlingshire, Scotland
Community reviews
From notes @ 27.8.2017
How: bottle(d @ May 2014)
Head: Almost none, tan
Colour: reddish black
Aroma: fruity, whiskey
Taste: aged well/ balanced, slightly warm, medium body, almost flat carbonation, whiskey, smoke, rich, slightly sweet, some roasty character.
Sample@Ølfestival København 2018 - dark brown coloured pour with beige head. Medium sweet and toasted malty, some caramel and toffee, singed brown sugar, dried fruity shred, medium body, spiced warming malty finish.
Bottle 33cl from Vinmonopolet.no.
Black with a lightbrown head. Aroma of wooden barrel, dark fruit and some smoke. Sweet, light bitter with a good wooden barrel and smoke end. Medium bodied, nice, could even be more...
Dark black colour, brown smooth head. Aroma has chocolate, plum and raisin. The whiskey taste is clearly notable. Nice one.
From Saveur Biere. In Teku glass. Playing Avernum 4. More or less the same as the 12 years version. This wood excess saturates me a bit but isnt unpleasant
Smages tydeligt at den har ligget på fad, lidt krydret sprit i eftersmagen.
Taster from bottle, bottled 06.2014, courtesy of Werckmeister, many thanks! Pours a nearly black chestnut brown with a tan colored head. The aroma is pretty malty - cocoa, toffee, dark fruits, nuts, honey - along with some whiskey and hints of smoke. Medium-full body with a light to medium sweetness and a light bitterness. The flavor is similar to the smell with toffee, cocoa, coffee, honey, whiskey and hints of smoke. Finishes lightly woody with a light roasty bitterness. Nice flavors of roasted malt with the barrel notes being well integrated but the body could be a little thicker.
Aroma: 8
Appearance: 4
Taste: 7
Palate: 4
Overall: 15
330ml bottle, sat in a kitchen cupboard for 2 years. Pours very dark brown with a thin tan head. Aroma is peaty, dark fruits, whisky barrel, smoke. Taste is peaty, dark/dried fruits, barrel, chocolate, caramel, roast malts, smoke. Full bodied, thick mouthfeel, smooth, fine carbonation. Sampling this the night after I tried the 12-year and I'm finding it very similar, but the whisky barrel notes are more prominent, stronger peat and smoke flavours too.
Bottle 2014. Dark brown color, creamy foam. Aroma: good aromatic Highland whisky, caramel, prunes, chocolate. Taste: caramel, prunes, a little smoke, creamy, excellent whiskey, soft, even gentle, warming.
0,33l bottle at home bought from acedrinks. Bottled 06/2014. BB 02/2019. almost black color, very small coffee colored head. smells earthy, peat, molasses, some spices, peppery. nice smell. full body, light carbonation, slick mouthfeel. tastes earthy, peat, light smoke, wood, spices, some caramel, light vanilla, peppery. finishes light to medium roasty bitter with notes of caramel, peat and some spices. quite nice one, not super complex, but quite good to drink.
F: thin, tanned, not long lasting.
C: dark, opaque.
A: dark malts, peat, whisky, caramel, dried fruits, chocolate.
T: dark malty, peat, bit whisky, chocolate, earthy, bit nutty, caramel, bit dark bread, bit dark fruits, hint of coffee, medium to full body, low to medium carbonation, nice one, enjoyed, 33cl bottle from Auchan Market in Luxembourg.
Schwarz mit kleiner beiger Schaumkrone. Malzig, Röstaromen, dunkle Schokolade, leicht fruchtig, Waldbeeren, Pflaume, etwas Whisky.
Bottle 33cl. Pitch black with a small brown head. Aroma has hints of coffee and some sweet liquorice. Number 2 after the 12 years version. This one tastes a bit thinner. Medium length.
Bottle at home from the Wine Society. A flat pour with no head and no lacing. The taste was that of a rich porter and again I didn't get much, if anything, of the whisky and oaky vanilla that I was expecting. Meh.
330ml bottle (8%) at home on 3 Jun 2018, from Top of the Hops, Kilmarnock (bb 30 Apr 2018): woody, vanilla aroma, opaque near black thin short-lived tan head, toffee, woody, vanilla, little whisky, little smoke, syrupy, sweet smoky finish.
Wow. Øl fra øverste hylde. Lækker og velsmagende, Fyldig øl med god aroma. En øl der absolut kan anbefales.
I thought this was good, pretty plain appearance, but so smooth and easy to drink. Feels meaty but smooth. Leather, raisin, dark wood. Excellent, easy finish.
Aroma: Medium licorice, leather, cherries, tobacco, chocolate.
Appearance: Black body. No head, just a ring, fine bubbles, light-brown.
Flavour: Medium-light chocolate, leather, Medium-light bitterness. Very dry finish with licorice, tobacco, astringent, woody.
Mouthfeel: Light warming. Slight astringency. Medium-full body. Light carbonation.
Overall: Great aroma, but the flavour is a shadow of the aroma. Astringency is a big issue.
330 ml bottle, poured. Bottled 2012/08
33B. Specialty Wood Aged
Thick, black colored, small- tan head, not very lasting. Aroma is of malt, bit caramel, light toffee, chocolate, bit coffee, whisky barrel and peaty notes. Taste is medium+ sweet malt, caramel, bit toffee, bit chocolate, whisky barrel, smoke and peat, some alcohol and warmth. Medium+ bodied, soft to flat carbonation, feels a bit thinner than you'd expect. I did age it past the BB date by a few days! :o
(bottle, Bierhalle Deconinck, Vichte)
Nice bottle with some information about this beer.
Black beer without head but this is here a must. Smell is typical here, like Porter, cold coffee, taste is mild, not too much, flat carbonation, cold coffee, dark chocolate, I can’t feel the alcohol, very good, medium body, not bitter and not sweet, very mild Whisky, short finish,
(I have 0.33l bottle with best-before 03/2020 and batch L1003, bottle nr 12621 and date FEB 2017)
Bottle 33cl. Pitch black with a small brown head. Aroma has hints of coffee and some sweet liquorice. Number 2 after the 12 years version. This one tastes a bit thinner. Medium length.
Near black, minimal head. Complex flavour dominated by peaty malt, with hops in the background throughout. Interesting though this is you kind of feel as though it is living off the legend of Scotch whisky.
Bottle shared, pours a black color with small beige head and very light lacing. Aroma and flavor of rich wood, nuts, figs, bourbon soaked raisin, roasted malt and other complex earth. Medium to fuller bodied. Really nice sipper on a icey day
Aroma of coffee, chocolate, wood, leather, smoke, vanilla, caramel, berries and nuts. Deep brown to black with a tan head. Medium + sweet and medium bitter. Medium to full body with a average to soft carbonation. Overall a very plesant Old Ale, nice character from the cask ageing.
Pours black with minimal tanned head. Aromas of whisky cask, some smoke, roasted malts, hints of toffee. Taste has notes of roasted malts, chocolate, hints of smoke, caramel, toffee, wood, scotch whiskey
A scottich, black Old Ale with very low, light brown head. Matured in Highland Park's 16 year old Single Malt Scotch Whisky barrels. Aroma is whisky, oak, coffee, chocolate, light berries, light tar. Taste is light bitter and sweet. Soft.
0.33 l bottle from 'Ace Drinks', bottled in June 2014. Pitch black with a thin, frothy, almost stable, beige head. Sweetish-malty, moderately roasty and slightly smoky aroma of dark chocolate, licorice, peat, hazelnut and some whisky. Quite sweet, malty, moderately roasty, quite smoky taste of dark chocolate, licorice, peat, seaweed, hazelnut and whisky, followed by a medium long, rather roasty-bitter, slightly earthy-dry and fairly smoky finish. Medium body, smooth and slightly effervescent mouthfeel, very soft carbonation. Really good, fantastically balanced, fairly complex and extremely pleasant to drink!
Bottle @ parents. Appearance: pours clear dark brown with good beige soapy head and lacing. aroma/taste: caramel, light smoke, oak, light alcohol and light coffee. palette: strong malty and oaky aroma, average carbonation, medium to full body, medium to notable sweetness, unbalanced by a light to medium bitterness, average to long duration and an oily texture. Overall: tasteful but quite sweet old ale
Bière noire et opaque (huile sombre) avec une mousse crème tirant sur le saumon. Bouteille #02871 de février 2017. Goût de chocolat et de bois agréable. Pas trop d'amertume.
Review based on the BJCP2015 guidelines (style 33B/20C). Bottle 33 cl - Batch L2602 (BBF 02/2019). AROMA: medium blend between roasted malts (cocoa/coffee) and whisky wood barrel. APPERANCE: very dark brown to black with slight ruby highlights against light. medium light brown head with average retention. leg formation. TASTE: similar to the aroma, with a front flavor of smoky wood, slight whisky and a background of roasted malt (coffee). medium bitterness with a smi-dry and roasty finish. PALATE: medium-full to full body with meidum carbonation. OVERALL: a very interesting and flavourfull imperial stout agend in whisky barrels.