Harviestoun Old Engine Oil Special Reserve

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Vintage bottle. Black bodied with sparse bubbles ont he durface. Aroma is chocolaty and roasty with whisky notes in the background (touches of peat and iodine). Taste is chocolate, roasted malt, light peat, touch of iodine, wet wood and toffee notes. Body is light-medium with soft bubbles ont he palate. Ends with more chocolate, brunt caramel, touches of peat and iodine, roasted malt and faint dark fruit.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 7

i got a rock ... . pours a dark midnight black .. . low soy sauce and tar aromas .. . small head ring .. mallard .. . delicious stuff, amazing aged qualities without dust .. . great mouth, sweet tar players, with some bovril and smoke aura... good stuff!

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 7

Very unique beer. When first poured, it's an extremely dark chocolate colour, with a light chocolate coloured head. It smelled amazing, like a mix of liqour, chocolate, and sweet dried fruits. The feel in your mouth was very smooth, and it was definately a beer that was to be enjoyed slowly and at a warmer temperature. When it hits your toungue you can feel and taste the whiskey and wood from the barrels, and you can definately feel the smoothness of chocolate. My only problem was the price for it -- $8 for a bottle in a college town where bars have to compete for cheap prices. I don't know if I got ripped off or not, but I know I enjoyed it. Reccommended for the adventurous

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

Aroma is simply heavenly - rich and "stouty" with strong smoky and coffee undertones, as well as a sharp alcohol nip. It pours a deep, opaque sable with a thick tan head. Flavor is strong and smoky, with some bitterness but not too much. It is very smooth, yet goes down somewhat like strong liquor - you know exactly where it is in your esophagus. Perhaps this comes from being aged in single-malt whisky barrels.

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

Pours a deep, dark black chocolate colour with a full brown head- aromas of oak barrel, and a touch of whisky. Creamy taste on the palate, sweet and plenty of roasted malts and smokey character.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

I had a hard time wrapping my head (and tongue) around this beer. I truthfully had no idea as to what this beer's style was supposed to be, so I'm thinking...stout of some kind. So it comes out that it's a Scottish Ale. Well, that'd explain a lot. Aroma was smoky, dark cherries, dark chocolate, wood and some whiskey notes in there too. Appearance was a deep black with brown highlights, smallish light tan head with no lacing. Flavors had this twang that was interesting, dark chocolate covered cherries, black walnuts, whiskey, slightly smokey, and even a little port character. An interesting beer and if you were doing a blind taste test, you'd surely be caught off guard. Interesting for sure. Recommended.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

Pours pitch black with almost no head that quickly recedes to a thin ring that leaves very little lacing. Smell; the oak and wiskey stand out quite a bit which I like. There's hints of coffee, and alcohol and some sweet dark fruits. Taste; initially sweet from a the dark fruits and chocolate, followed by a nice woody flavor from the oak barrels and a nice toasted malt backbone. The finish had some nice traces of bourbon that I was really looking forward to, but was to cloying for my tastes. Mouthfeel was a little thinner than I would have liked.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

Dark almost black pour with minimal head or lacing. Aroma was malty and chocolatey with a touch of smoke. The flavor was full of chocolate with a touch of the whiskey sweetness from the barrel aging and some smoke emerged as it warmed. Not quite as smokey/peaty as I would like in my Scottish Ales, but rich and full flavor and quite enjoyable nonetheless.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

2002 Vintage: I could've sworn the bottle listed this as 6%abv. Oh well, a very tasty scottish/stoutish brew. Chocolate and vanilla maltiness, earthiness, wood, whisk(e)y and a bit of oxidation. Quite interesting and I can't help but ponder about this beer with less time in the bottle. Murky and dark, fleeting head and aromas of wood and dessert. Quite nice.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 10 | Overall: 9

8% ABV bottle poured into my Chouffe tulip glass, perfectly sized glassware, great choice for the very nice head that was produced right up to the brim. Chocolate-tan colored thick head separated out from the body almost like a stout. Body was pitch black. Head retention was pretty good and the lacing was pretty, about as good as you can get with this style. The aroma was of chocolate, whiskey, dark fruits, and very light peat. The flavor hid the whiskey accents until higher temperatures of 60Fish (which may disappoint some, but it didn't me, even at the peak temps, the whiskey was supportive rather than dominant), as the chocolate was the primary feature, really smooth chocolate. Other flavors were roasted malts, molasses, light licorice, a touch of coffee, and some plums as it warmed a bit. Both coffee and peat in the aftertaste, along with an unexpected hop zing finish that helps to balance out the somewhat sweet and rich malty base. This was a really nice treat and it exceeded my expectations - so much that it may be up there in my top 3 Scottish ales. Mouthfeel was totally smooth, silky, and creamy with a touch of carbonation tingle. Need to return to this one someday.