Harviestoun Ola Dubh 12 Beer

Ola Dubh 12 pours black with a modest spattered head that reduces slowly, leaving behind textbook lacing. The aroma is delicious; smoky Worcestershire sauce, leather, iodine and grilled steak. Flavours of smoky-sweet malts, roasted peat, coffee beans and a well-bittered finish. Overall this is a rather exotic brew with a defined barrel influence. It’s refined rather than over the top and very delicious indeed.

The Ola Dubh 12 year old is definitely a different beast to the Old Engine Oil that it is based on, with a very sweet nose backed up by an umami-rich soy sauce note. The sweetness comes from stewed raisin and berry flavours, along with an astringent but sweet liquorice touch.

To taste it’s again much lighter than the nose and colour suggest, with sweet fruit quickly swamped by dark roasted malt. Fortunately, stopping it from becoming unbalanced, the rich stewed fruit hangs around underneath.

It finishes with char, Marmite and lots of bitterness initially, with some fruit creeping around the sides of the tongue as it lingers.