Harviestoun Ola Dubh (18 Year Old)

Harviestoun Ola Dubh (18 Year Old)

Ola Dubh (or "Black Oil") is so named because it is gloopy and viscous. This limited release has been matured in casks from Orkney’s award-winning Highland Park distillery to add complimentary whisky notes to what is already an amazing brew. It is chocolatey with a roasty, bittersweet aftertaste. Special Reserve 18, whisky notes: Highland Park 18 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky was named Best Spirit in the World by F. Paul Pacult; it offers toffee sweetness, almond nuttiness and a prolonged, smoky aftertaste.
3.9
747 reviews
Alva, Stirlingshire, Scotland

Community reviews

4.0 #4017 Black, minimal beige head. Aged aroma, chocolate, pralines, plums. Taste is smooth, neutral, slightly bitter, pralines, nuts, plums. Very smooth and silky texture. Fuller body, low carbonation.
3.7 Old rating from 2016 - 330ml bottle, pours black with a beige head. Aromas & tastes of dark fruits, burnt toffee, caramel, smokey chocolate, port, sherry, plums, dates, figs, raisins, peat, earth, wood spices & sweet malt. Medium body. Sweet finish
4.4 Fles 33cl thuis. Fles 01720. 7-'20. Zacht, pruim, chocolade, marsepein, zachte whiskytonen, eik, wat vanille, kers, carameltonen, rozijn. (21-3-2021).
4.0 The second one for our 8th wedding anniversary. Bottle No. 03496, 0.33l, production date September 2014. Very dark red to black colored. AROMA- roasted malts, peated, coffee, dark chocolate, caramel, whiskey. FLAVOR- dry, moderately bitter, roasted malts, chocolate, coffee, peated whiskey. Fuller bodied. Really good.
4.2 Bottle from LCBO. Smokey vanilla aroma. Rich creamy taste, caramel and smoke notes. Silky mouthfeel. Very tasty.
4.4 Bottle at Cardinal. Pours black with small brown head. Aroma of whiskey, ethanol, wood, some smoke roasted malt, dark dried fruits. Tastes slightly sweet with balancing bitterness. Medium bodied, alcoholic warmth.
3.8 1-17-21
3.1 Aus der Flasche im 2020-11 getrunken. Dieses schwarze, schottische Ale kommt recht Malzig, aber mit recht wenig Süße daher. Stattdessen machen sich die Tannine aus der HighlandPark Fassreifung deutlich bemerkbar und sorgen für etwas bittere Eichenoten. Ansonsten ist es sehr ausgewogen.
4.4 Bottle, no 01554 bottled july 2020. Color: Almost black, very thin beige head. Aroma: Roasted malt, dar chocolate, vanilla, Whisky. Taste: Dark roasted malt, fruity notes of dark fruit, notes of dark chocolate, vanilla, oak, Whisky, bit boozy, subtle toffee, licorice and smoke, peat, booze. Quite smooth and very well balanced. Over medium to full body, quite low carbonation. Moderate to over moderate sweet and bitter. Very nice complexity. Lovely beer.
3.6 Whisky and wood at the forefront, raisins, and almonds, wet wood, light leather, subtle smoke, light vanilla. Tannic, woody flavour. Comes close to whisky in beer form. Very good.
3.4 A decent beer. I had the two others years ago before my love of scotch and I remember thinking the whisky flavor was too strong. Now that I drink more whisky than beer, I don’t see too much in the way of whisky here. Still a solid beer. Aroma was the best thing about this beer. Oak, chocolate, vanilla, Creme brûlée and whisky. Pour was a deep dark black with no head or bubbles. Taste was really good. Chocolate and vanilla in the front then oaky spices with malt and slight coffee notes. Dryer than expected and very light with very little carbonation. Could’ve benefitted from another 2-1.5% in ABV but the lower alcohol also makes it easy to drink
3.3 Butelka 0,33 l, butelka nr 08999, luty 2016 r, ważne do 02.2019 r. Piana ciemnobeżowa, średnio obfita, gęsta, opada do warstewki, z niezłym lacingiem. Kolor czarny, nieprzejrzysty. W aromacie nuty palone, kakao, whisky, lekko torfowe, żywiczne, lukrecji, kukułek, przypalonych wafelków. W smaku dziwnie kwaskowe, paloność, whisky, dymność, drewno, ciemne owoce, czekolada, parkiet, finisz lekko ściągający i destylatowy, dymny. Pełnia średnia do średnio wysokiej, wysycenie średnio niskie do średniego, goryczka średnio intensywna, palona, alkohol dobrze ułożony, niewyczuwalny. Chyba coś niedobrego się w tym piwie zadziało, jest ciekawe, ale nie powinno być chyba tak kwaskowe, pewnie jakieś mikroby z beczki miały na to wpływ. Szkoda.
4.4 Bottle bought online Dark brown or black color with a thin dark beige head, not too carbonated Sweet malt and subtle whisky notes in the aroma Malt sweet notes toghether with licorice notes making a great balance between bitter and sweet, there are some other sweet notes from the whisky like honey, aromatic peat notes, smoky and earthy, buth specially earthy , both at the end and in the aftertaste toghether with roasted notes Thick mouthfeel The whisky influence is stronger than in the 12 years edition but it keeps being really subtle, specially the peat notes, which I was expecting to be stronger as a Highland Park fan, for me it's a beer for once in a lifetime just to try the full series, I was expecting a bit more of that peat
3.8 Pivo u flaši. Popijeno u Gourmet Shopu & Tasting Roomu "Pötãman" u Premanturi. Slatkasta i Whiskey aroma. Tijelo je srednje gustoće i malko više gazirano. Okus je slatkast , karamelast, suhovoćan i lagano gorkast sa stalnom aromom Whisky-ja.. Alkohol se slabo osjeti, znači da je fino uklopljen.. ..ma pivo je ko Jack-Cola ... fino je za kraj večeri..
3.8 Aroma: toffee, little bit whisky undertone, some smoke Appearance: clear dark brown color with a one-finger brown head. Taste: toffee, some chocolate roastiness, some vanilla and oaky quality of whisky undertone, smoke, complex Palate: medium-full body, low carbonation, low alcohol sensation, bittersweet finish Overall: complex in taste, it tastes like doppelbock with smokiness and some whisky notes.
3.6 Backlog, bottle. Pours a very dark brown, nearly black color with small receding coffee colored head. Nose and flavor of scotch, peat, roast, cocoa, ash, and malts. Somewhat boozy/sweet in the end. Fuller bodied
4.0 The sherry influence is most apparent here. Vanilla, cherries and ripe plums. Good bitter backbone. Spicy
3.9 330ml bottle from Carwyn Cellars 8% ABV BB 03/2020 Deep bronze body, small beige head. Mmmm nice nose, sort of dark brooding, rich biscuity caramel malt paves the way for complex toasty whisky Oak with undertones of Mead-like, vanilla, stonefruit and pale dried fruit, slight booze and spice. Weight far beyond an 8% beer, perhaps not the length of a serious heavy hitter but plenty of texture, chewiness. Boom, that Oak is punchy as! Really toasty, lots of vanilla, oaken butter, sultana and dried fig, peach skin, coconut, roasted almonds - it really is like drinking a single malt Scotch with the sweetness of a malt British ale mixed in there. Delightful beer... Loved the beers in this series!
3.8 Bottle no 17114 (feb ´15). Pours black with a beige head. Aromas of plum, caramel, whiskey and chocolate. Flavours of raisins, plum, roasted malt, chocolate, whiskey, wood and coffee. Oily texture. Medium body.
3.4 On bottle. Pours black with small head. Scent: Little whisky. Taste: Sweet, not as much whisky as expected, malty. Texture: Quite creamy.
2.2 First of all, it’s ale, and I’m not really into them (too little carbonation). The aroma and taste reminds me of some sweet salami sausage or something like this. It’s interesting and rather unusual taste, however, I didn’t like it too much and certainly won’t try it again.
3.6 33 cL bottle. Pours dark brown to black with a creamytan to chocolate brown head. Aroma is vanilla and dark roasted malty. Smooth whiskey, wooden, light vanilla and smoked. Dry and roasted base flavoured.
3.0 颜色：浑浊咖啡色 香味：咖啡，泥煤，啤酒花味中，焦糖味， 苦味：中 甜味：高 回味：时间长 糖分过高，威士忌泥煤味很出色，淡淡的，不抢啤酒花香味，咖啡的香味很合适，咖啡，焦糖，泥煤，啤酒花味道配合的相得益彰
4.2 F: medium, tanned, not long lasting. C: black, opaque. A: rich dark malts, chocolate, plums, cocoa, bit vinous, bit smoked tones. T: dark malts, a lot of nice smoky tones, chocolate, cocoa, bit warming alcohol, earthy, bit ash, plums, caramel, dried fruits, medium to full body, light oily mouthfeel, nice complex brew, fully enjoyed, 33cl bottle No. 20460 (bottled Aug 2017), from Cora in Brussels.
4.0 Pours a dark reddish brown from the bottle. Small tan head. Delicious aroma of chocolate, coffee and whisky. Taste is light chocolate, coffee, roasted malts and a hint of whisky. A good bitterness offsets the sweetness of this beer. Slightly oily mouthfeel. A classic from Harviestoun.
4.1 20 December 2018. Bottle at Café Frappé, Maastricht. Shared with Anke. Bottle no. 01927; February 2015. Pours hazy jet black with a lasting, thin, unstable, dark beige head; little lacing. Strong & complex aroma of peat, charcoal, blackcurrant, oak, walnut, earth, dried prune, whisky, coffee bean, aniseed, fondant. Taste is medium malty sweet, quite nutty with (retronasal) fruitiness, as in blackcurrant, prune & some raisin, smoky notes bring peat & tar even but not in a disturbing manner; light roasted bitter then, coffee bean, oak & earthy note, faintly sour. Dryish, earthy hoppy finish, bit toasty, lingering dark fruits & smoke, some subtle warming whisky alcohol to top it off. Medium body, oily texture, soft carbonation. Rich in aroma & taste, yet delicate; could have been fuller.
3.1 0.33l på flaske. Sort øl med tydelig whisky og røg duft. Røgsmagen dækker for de fleste andre nuancer i denne øl.
3.8 Musta lasissa, lähes imperial stout -tyylinen. Tuoksussa on puumaisuutta, tummia hedelmiä, alkoholia ja savuisuutta. Maussa on erikoisesti hieman salmiakkia, mutta toki myös viskitynnyriä, luumua ja alkoholia. Tasapainoinen, aika tuhti olut.
4.2 Aroma of smoke,sweet dark malt, wiskey barrel.Taste of dark fruits, smoke,sweet dark malt, liquorice, toffee, light peat, dates, figs, some warming alcohol, faint vanilla.
3.3 33cl bottle split with SimonBlok and emjolnir. Bottle number 02530. Pours a jet black colour with almost no head. Aroma of cinnamon, black malt, leather, whiskey, slight peat. Taste is moderate sweet, moderate bitter with a moderate dry finish. Notes of black malt, leather, peat, olives out of a jar, olive jar juice. Texture is watery, medium bodied with moderate carbonation