Ola Dubh Special Reserve 21
Harviestoun Brewery Ltd.

Ola Dubh Special Reserve 21Ola Dubh Special Reserve 21
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From:
Harviestoun Brewery Ltd.
 
Scotland, United Kingdom
Style:
English Stout
Ranked #12
ABV:
8%
Score:
92
Ranked #5,812
Avg:
4.12 | pDev: 9.47%
Reviews:
48
Ratings:
155
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 21, 2024
Added:
May 03, 2013
Wants:
  13
Gots:
  28
This beer is 8% ABV in bottle, 10.5% in cask and keg.

We make Ola Dubh 21 by taking our Old Engine Oil (amped up to 10.5%) and aging it for up to 6 months in casks that previously held Highland Park’s phenomenal 21 Year Old single malt whisky.

Ola Dubh (pronounced ‘ola-doo’ and Gaelic for ‘black oil’) was conceived in 2007. It was the first ale to be matured in whisky barrels from a named distillery and, with traceable casks and numbered bottles, it is a beer with real provenance.

This amazing brew has been aged in selected oak casks formerly used to mature Highland Park 21 Year Old Single Malt Whisky, adding complementary whisky notes to our chocolatey, bittersweet beer.

Ola Dubh 21 pours deep brown with a burgundy flush and a head the colour of milled oatmeal. On the nose it has gently-finessed top notes of fresh heather and honey, subtly toasted malts and vanilla with balancing hints of red fruits and a distant, beguiling smoke. The flavour has elegantly-subtle developing wine-like notes; from bitter chocolate and espresso beans into to a sustained, oaked conclusion. Extended, oaky finish with pine resin, juniper, perfumed honey and traces of peat.

HOPS: Galena, East Kent Goldings, Fuggles
MALTS: Roast barley, oats
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Ratings by SPLITGRIN:
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Rated by SPLITGRIN from Kentucky

4.38/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Oct 17, 2015
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.68 by ChaosUncaged from Illinois

Feb 21, 2024
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Reviewed by GreesyFizeek from New York

4.14/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
This one pours a fairly dark black color, with a small head, and a little bit of lacing.

This smells like bittersweet roastiness, dark chocolate, smoke, licorice, tobacco, and oak

This definitely feels like it has a bit more amped up and smoky whiskey character than the 12, 16, or 18 had, which makes sense. There’s a pleasant inky smokiness here, licorice, tobacco, and just a vague herbal character. It’s mostly chocolatey though, with a nice roasted feel to it.

This feels a little bit thinner than some of the other Ola Dubh variants, but not super thin by any means. There’s no booziness and it goes down pretty easy.

I wish these beers were easier to come by locally, as they’re delicious and very unique.
Nov 28, 2023
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Rated by cheeseheadinMinneapolis from Wisconsin

4.21/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Draft from a bar tap. Smooth., Some chocolate, roast, vanilla, oak and cherry notes. Not much coffee. Hint of a red wine.
Sep 14, 2023
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Rated by bigred89 from Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Not as balanced as other Ola Dubhs. Scotch threatens to overpower the beer.
Oct 09, 2022
 
Rated: 4.5 by igl from Russian Federation

Oct 05, 2022
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Reviewed by JonnoWillsteed from England

4.13/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
L- A simply and elegantly labelled bottle. Pours inky black with a 5mm pale tan head.
S- A roasty-charred sense with a gentle whisky note in the background.
T- Charred and heavy roast, a mild hoppy-dry zing licks across the palate. Massive dark cocoa into the finish. I can sense the ABV% in parallel with the ^hoppy zing but the whisky note seems subtle to me: No bad thing, a sledge-hammer of a liquor note can ruin an otherwise great beer, IMHO.
F- It feels like more than an 8% beer. Blind-tasted I could be pursuaded this is 10%+. I think it's the mega-roasty aspect coupled with the barrel ageing,
O- Nice, very elegant and very different. It makes a mjor statement on the palate. Ideal for slow-sipping in winter months, and given it's pungency a good one to share with a fellow beer-head.
Bought from BeersOfEurope/UK for home delivery. £6.89 330ml bottle: '#13128/Oct-2021'
Sep 23, 2022
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Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

3.88/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
May 2015: 330 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 8%. Pitch black colour, moderate to low tan head. Very nice aroma of oak, vanilla, chocolate, coffee and whisky. Medium dry flavour, notes of oak, tar, ashes, whisky, smoke, coffee, vanilla and dark chocolate. Good stuff.
Sep 10, 2022
 
Rated: 4.25 by emerge077 from Illinois

Aug 07, 2022
 
Rated: 4.18 by Bogdawg from Massachusetts

Dec 18, 2021
 
Rated: 4.02 by Tcsox from Massachusetts

Dec 18, 2021
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Reviewed by Bouleboubier from New Jersey

4.19/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
(11.2 oz bottle, No. 03690, April 2014 ... poured into a snfiter)

L: very dark brown, almost black liquid; faded tan foam, mountain of fish eye bubbles, as if living ale... thick, bubbly collar remains, keeping till the end

S: chalk, marzipan, espresso dust; potent whisky esters, fruity, woody... toasted raisin, perhaps more prune; bold, leathery... hint of sweet black licorice, oxidized a bit... overall, lovely; as it pouring out, aromas jet forth

T: hardly sweet at all, little bit of roasty molasses and black licorice in the finish; modicum of sugars, thin caramel trail out the back... aftertaste is ashy char and, subtle hints of dark roast coffee and whisky spice... oxidized, leathery dark malts slowly creep up and linger on the palate, bit of nondescript, arguably brandy-like dark fruit filling out the flavors

F: bit of tame heat up front, whisky-like, carrying long through the finish; tight, lithe, delicately-oily, lazily-luscious viscosity... drops off quiet at the back, only a little cozy warmth remaining, lightly-sticky residual sugary film left behind... big sips easy

O: one of the more fragrant noses on an Ola Dubh, but the taste is as restrained as the others in the line (if not most of all); not sure it's worth the price or a repeat visit, though a revisit to the 12 seems in order
Apr 07, 2019
 
Rated: 4.03 by 11-52_4hops from Virginia

Dec 30, 2018
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Reviewed by josanguapo from Spain

3.29/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
From Saveur Biere. In Teku glass. Playing Avernum 3 and Silence. 3 months after bb. More balanced than the 12, 16 and 18 versions, with the wood less aggressive, but still nothing impressive. Boring
Aug 18, 2018
 
Rated: 3.82 by Tomesco from Canada (ON)

Mar 24, 2018
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Reviewed by connecticutpoet from Connecticut

4.23/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Appearance - no head at all over a clear, extremely dark brown body.

Aroma - Rich molasses, a little coffee, raisins and plums, woody oak, hints of smokiness, No booziness.

Taste - Strong woodiness, faint molasses, a little smoky, light bitterness, and a hint of whiskey and vanilla at the end.

Mouthfeel - deceptively smooth and easy drinking.

Overall - trying the entire series, lowest to highest. They have been getting better and better. This one is VERY good.
Jan 14, 2018
 
Rated: 4.3 by leprechaunandfatman from Ohio

Nov 16, 2017
 
Rated: 5 by OzmanBey from Massachusetts

Oct 23, 2017
 
Rated: 3.77 by Sammy from Canada (ON)

Sep 24, 2017
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Reviewed by jrenihan from Canada (ON)

3.79/5  rDev -8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Perhaps this bottle is past its prime (April 2014), but this is surprisingly mild and light given what it is. There are peat flavours to be sure, as well as some vanilla and oak, but it is all a bit thin. Minimal carbonation, which contributes to the thin impression. A sticky finish.
Aug 12, 2017
Ola Dubh Special Reserve 21 from Harviestoun Brewery Ltd.
Beer rating: 92 out of 100 with 155 ratings