Highland Park and Harviestoun

I had a fantastic tasting of dark flavors last night...

I was looking for an interesting scotch the other day and decided to try Highland Park 12 Year Single Malt.  This Scotch comes from Orkney which is an island slightly North of the mainland of Scotland.  A week later I discovered Harviestoun's Ola Dubh which is brewed in Alva, Scotland.  Harviestoun is famous for producing Old Engine Oil.  Ola Dubh is a variation on Old Engine Oil which is aged for six months in used Highland Park 12 Year casks.

My evening started off by picking up a large piece of Chocolate Napoleon Cake which has alternating layers of dark chocolate fudge and dense chocolate cake.  I poured a modest amount of Highland Park, the entire bottle of Ola Dubh and unpacked my Chocolate Napoleon.  Over the next ninety minutes I alternated freely and comfortably between these three delicious delights!  The scotch is peaty and smooth which made it possible to go back to the Ola Dubh without washing it out.  The Ola Dubh is a hearty beer, still providing interesting flavors beyond the present and well incorporated taste of scotch.  The cake provided its obvious sweetness and enabled me to move between these three delicious indulgences.

All in all, this was a delightful hour and a half of dark and rich flavors which never overwhelmed and encouraged a well drawn-out tasting.  A pairing is wonderful, but a trifecta is divine!

-Gudger