12 oz. Bottle at Stout NYC
Harviestoun was a brewery I had never heard of until a Christmas gathering of my friends which involved a 30 or so person Yankee swap. I ended up with a bottle of Harviestoun 30th Anniversary Ola Dubh, Old ale aged in barrels of Highland Park distillery's 30 year old Scotch. The 12 year, while aged in substantially less aged Scotch barrels, was still a very good beer.
Ola Dubh (literally, "black oil" in Gaelic) pours a very dark black with no head - it looks exactly like engine oil. Predominantly vanilla off the nose, with a bit of Scotch in there as well. Very nice. First taste reveals a nice smooth vanilla and strong Scotch tones; it's very smooth with very low carbonation. I'm also getting a bit of dark chocolate, caramel/toffee, smokiness, and espresso, though only hints of these. There's a tad of hop and smoke in the aftertaste, but it is predominantly nice smooth Scotch, without the burn. The beer really benefits from the aging in the oak Scotch barrels. 8% ABV is present primarily due to the Scotch, but I would argue that this not only does not detract from the experience, but adds to it.
I must say that I was surprised by how complex the Scotch notes were in this beer - you can tell there's some flavor imparted by the oak, and blend of flavors: vanilla, espresso, dark chocolate, caramel/toffee, and smoke really create a nice, round, smooth balance that isn't present in a lot of beers that are this complex. Hoping the Ola Dubh 30 will be able to stand up to the flavor of it's younger brother.
Overall Raiting: 4.5/5
Harviestoun was a brewery I had never heard of until a Christmas gathering of my friends which involved a 30 or so person Yankee swap. I ended up with a bottle of Harviestoun 30th Anniversary Ola Dubh, Old ale aged in barrels of Highland Park distillery's 30 year old Scotch. The 12 year, while aged in substantially less aged Scotch barrels, was still a very good beer.
Ola Dubh (literally, "black oil" in Gaelic) pours a very dark black with no head - it looks exactly like engine oil. Predominantly vanilla off the nose, with a bit of Scotch in there as well. Very nice. First taste reveals a nice smooth vanilla and strong Scotch tones; it's very smooth with very low carbonation. I'm also getting a bit of dark chocolate, caramel/toffee, smokiness, and espresso, though only hints of these. There's a tad of hop and smoke in the aftertaste, but it is predominantly nice smooth Scotch, without the burn. The beer really benefits from the aging in the oak Scotch barrels. 8% ABV is present primarily due to the Scotch, but I would argue that this not only does not detract from the experience, but adds to it.
I must say that I was surprised by how complex the Scotch notes were in this beer - you can tell there's some flavor imparted by the oak, and blend of flavors: vanilla, espresso, dark chocolate, caramel/toffee, and smoke really create a nice, round, smooth balance that isn't present in a lot of beers that are this complex. Hoping the Ola Dubh 30 will be able to stand up to the flavor of it's younger brother.
Overall Raiting: 4.5/5
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