Beer # 17 Harviestoun Ola Dubh 18 yo Special Reserve

 Well a nice quiet Sunday night and I finally manage to get around to tasting the Ola Dubh 18 that has been sitting in my fridge taunting me. Just like the two bottles before the 12 and 16 This offering is from Harviestoun in Scotland www.harviestoun.com Here is what I wrote for the 12 way back in blog # 2:

"Enter Ola Dubh which the tag hanging from the bottle tells me means "Black Oil" It is a version of one of their standard dark beers "Old Engine Oil" that has been aged in casks. Not just any old casks though... Scotch whisky casks. Highland Park to be exact. The bottle I got today comes from the 12 year old series. Each bottle is brewed in small batches and then aged in 12 year old Highland park whisky barrels. The end result is numbered and dated. There is also a 16, 18, 30, and yes Virginia, a FORTY YEAR OLD series!"

The colour is black-brown and almost completely opaque. The tan head disperses very quickly. The beer is a hefty 8% ABV. 330 mls bottle bearing the number 01331 and a production date of September 2009 so 16 months in bottle. (Not so unusual for a high alcohol beer it can stand up to longer periods in bottle.)
First sniff gives off dark molasses and herbal hay and greenery notes (smells like the feed room from the horse farm I grew up on. Horse feed was usually mixed with molasses.) The taste is dark and grainy thick heavy molasses, and caremelised malt sugars the finish is woody and ashen. Wine port and brandy notes when aerated accentuating the alcohol.

Overall results: (Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional)

Taste: Exceptional
Cost: Pass (despite the $8.95 entry fee for the 333ml bottle surprisingly worth it!)
Colour: Exceptional
Beer Style: Exceptional
Re-order: Pass (drink with caution! savour one a night and give your palate a rest!)
Experience: Exceptional

The 16 so far is proving to be my favourite.

Hopefully I will be able to get my hands on the 30 and 40 for future tastings.

Cheers
CJT