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The Harviestoun Brewery at Alva, near Alloa and Dollar, launched Ola Dubh three years ago, maturing the beer in whisky casks supplied by the revered Orkney distiller, Highland Park. The first three �expressions�, to use a single malt whisky term, were matured for six months each in casks aged 12, 16 and 30 years of age. Now Harviestoun has added two additional expressions, using 18 and 40 year-old casks.
Ola Dubh is Gaelic for Black Oil and is a stronger version of the brewery�s porter-style beer, Old Engine Oil. As I discovered when I visited Highland Park with Harviestoun head brewer Stuart Cail, the distillery uses oak cases from the Spanish sherry industry that have been filled only with Oloroso wine. This dark, fruity and nutty sherry infuses the wood and gives Highland park single malts there highly distinctive character � a character passed on to Ola Dubh. The finished beers are quite different in character to Innis & Gunn�s Oak Aged Beer, which is matured in whisky casks bought from the American bourbon industry.
Harviestoun, Ola Dubh Special 40 Reserve (Scotland) 
(RP) Ola Dubh and Old Engine Oil are brewed with lager malt, pinhead oats and roasted barley. The hops are East Kent Goldings, Fuggles and American Galena. The expression of Ola Dubh from 40 year-old whisky casks is amazingly complex. The black beer has an enormous nose of chocolate and cocoa with burnt fruit, roasted grain and peppery hops. Honeyed malt and chocolate dominate the palate with whisky and smoky notes breaking through. The finish is bittersweet to start but finally becomes dry with powerful hints of smoke, peat, oak, dark fruit, chocolate and hop resins.
Malt: high. Fruit: moderate. Hops: light.
Ola Dubh is also available in Booths supermarkets and from Utobeer in Borough Market.
8.0% ABV, 33cl, �6.99, brewery website, Beersofeurope, Beer Paradise.  | |
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