Harviestoun Ola Dubh 30 Year Special Reserve

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

330ml bottle
8.0% ABV
King/Spadina LCBO Outlet (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
Bottle Number: 16141 (June 2013)
March 1, 2014
The beer pours a solid coca-cola colour with a thin brown head. The aroma is whiskey, dark fruits, molasses, and charred wood. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with average carbonation. The flavour is whiskey, some peat is evident, molasses, and dark fruits. Despite being the same ABV as the others in the Ola Dubh series, the alcohol is more notioeable in this one.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

Bottle No. 18603 on JAN 2009. Purchased at the LCBO a while back and cellared. Pours a dark brown colour with red highlights. Light brown creamy head, decent retention and a little lace. Nice burnt wood smell at first, but disappears and dark fruit is left with some nutty notes and molasses. Alcohol is completely gone with a smooth mouthfeel. The taste is pretty mild too, with hints of roasted malts, prunes, chocolate and nuts. Seems like the Highland whiskey got lost with time. Too bad, as quite expensive. I guess it does not age more than a year or two.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 10 | Overall: 10

I can't remember when I bot this bottle in a box, but it's been in my fridge for years. This was bottle 03170 from September  2007. It seems to have held up well over the past 4 years. Pours nearly black with a good tan head and excellent lacing. Aroma was very interesting with a light fruit yeastiness as well as dark fruit, roasted malt and cocoa, plus a smoky tartness exactly like a Scotch. Body is full and warm, soft up front with some carbonation to livin it up a hair. Very dry finish. The finish actually has a smokiness to it as well. Man do those other trendy breweries have a lot to learn. I swear I can taste a great single malt scotch behind the beer because of the peat, salty, smokey and wood flavors unique to only Scotland. This is killer stuff that I must buy again. I can't believe how easy it was to drink. I must also add that I'm a big fan of single malt scotch, and a bottle of Highland Park 30 Year goes for about $360!

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Bottle #22399 Pours a deep dark brown....ruby highlights...no head...faint carbonation. Aroma is intense...fruits, musty peat smoke & oak. licorice, black treacle. Oily mouth feel, front is fruity-smoky...middle gets complex with oak tastes playing against the fruity esters...lightly dry and roasty in the finish. Another great oaked ale by this brewer. I’m not sure if the 30 yr. barrels make that much difference from the 40 yr...if so I can’t taste it.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

pours dark ruby tinged brown...nearly black. little head. smoke on the nose and in the flavor. loads of peaty goodness, roasted malt, and a little chocolate and molasses. super smooth, and an excellent sipper. drinks bigger than the 18 year. Well done!

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 10

OUTSTANDING. A share from FengShuiDCU, this stuff is special. Pours black, no head. Nice smoked hop bite and obvious whiskey barrel wood flavor. This is terrific, wish i could afford a case.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Opaque black witha small creamy pale brown head. Rich aroma of whiskey, roasted malts, roasted nuts, mild peat, chocolate, salt, figs and licorice. Medium to full-bodied with rounded notes of whiskey, nuts, peat, wood, roasted malts and anise. Silky smooth mouthfeel. Long aftertaste of wood, whiskey, salt, roasted malts and sweet licorice.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Bottle No. 01232, March 2009. ABV is 8.0%. Pitch black colour, big tan head. Strong aroma of whisky cask, notes of peat, tar and vanilla. Intense but well rounded flavour of malt whisky, oak, malty sweetness, coffee and tar. Moderately bitter aftertaste.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

I have writer's block. It's the worst feeling in the world ... Try ten days without a bowel movement sometime .. i mean you just sit there... tell me about it ... you just stare at this black piece of paper, all it says is small tan head... dark brown black clour on pour .. . nice roastiness... more complex to a degree but after all these old ales, it starts getting trying .. . some burnt molasses ... a beutiful brew.. and now theres an 18yr and a 40 yr.. just when i tracked them all down i get boobed.... .

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

Bottle from Stateline, #08171, 2007. Color was dark brown, thin head. The aroma was lots of vanilla on opening, some whiskey with whiskey. Flavor followed the aroma, vanilla, oak, whiskey, finishing each sip with some smoke. Pretty smooth, lots of overwhelming vanilla and whiskey notes, though, a little too much, yet decent. The mouthfeel was moderate and smooth, some grainy-silkiness.