Review by: The Muskox
This is the most recent release of Bruichladdich’s enigmatic Black Art bottling series. I really enjoyed 4.1 when I tried it, so let’s see how the latest version holds up. Like the previous bottling, this is a secret vatting of old unpeated Laddie casks put together by head distiller Adam Hannett.
Distillery: Bruichladdich.
Bottler: Official bottling.
Region: Islay.
ABV: 46.9%. Cask strength.
Age: 26 years. Distilled in 1990. Bottled in 2018.
Cask type: Unknown.
Price: $365 CAD.
Color: Dark red-orange. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Nose: It really needs a lot of air time. When you first pour it, it is quite ethanol-y. After about half an hour in the glass, things do dissipate nicely though. When things do settle down, it is quite vegetal in scent. You get a fresh vegetable scent of some root vegetables. Celery, radishes, and kohlrabi are what come to mind. It has that “crisp” scent to it that comes along with those vegetables. Something akin to lemongrass also makes and appearance along with a bit of the sherry.
Palate: Silky texture. Raspberry, cranberry, and raisins up front, with a musty yeasty note. Dessert richness: dark chocolate, dulce de leche, cheesecake, and key lime pie. Interesting plum and pomegranate richness fruit. Lots of creamy vanilla, Developing to spices, then oak and fresh tobacco. The spice lasts only a second, before a lovely creaminess takes hold, followed by candle wax and soft tannins. That olive oil note shows up again.
Finish: Not as sweet here. Oak, cedar, and light herbs (maybe sage?). A little bit of cinnamon, cocoa powder and cumin. Orange sherbet. More pomegranate here, developing into a more herbal, nutty, and almost savoury flavour. Fruit seeds, maybe? Some lime, peach, and passionfruit, with a little mint. A hint of ginger spice. Some lightly-salted oatmeal.
Conclusion: This one really came into its own over time. I couldn’t really do justice to the depth and complexity of the fruit notes here. They’re sweet, tart, earthy, musty, even savoury. It has this maturity and understated elegance to it that I just love. It wears its age well without being too bitter at any point. It’s a little on the mild side due to the advanced age of the casks used, which sucks, but it is what it is. I don’t think it needs 55%+ strength to be an effective and delicious whisky though. The new batches of Black Art haven’t been universally adored like the Jim MacEwan batches were, but this one is just wonderful.
Final Score: 88.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 