Bruichladdich Black Art 1990 06.1 Edition 26 Year

sweet butterscotch nose with allspice (?), citrus rind and black vanilla, toasted almonds and maybe a little bit of dark fruit (sherry cask?) and a cacao finish

N: peaches, plums, baking spice. P: canned fruit in syrup, wood spice, mild lactic funk (which I love) Finish: medium length, sweetness gives way to a pleasant warming wood spice and candied mustiness I associate with old whisky that’s been aged in sherry. The expectations were high for this one. Maybe unrealistically so. I’d been on a hunt for a black art since trying the 5.1 a few years back and being blown away by it - that’s a top 5 whisky for me. I acquired this bottle of 6.1 at the distillery while on a scotch pilgrimage with good friends, which further adds to the pressure to live up to the hype. It was just under $400 which isn’t too bad compared to what one would have to pay to buy it in the wild near me. I think the 6.1 falls just short of those lofty expectations. I’ve just opened it so I’ll wait to see what happens and revisit after we get closer to the halfway mark (although that’s hard to tell with the black bottle!). I’m thoroughly enjoying this - I’m just not sure it warrants the $700-1000 I see this selling for if you can even find it. Update: it’s been 6mos and i’m halfway through (shared a fair bit) and im bumping this up a notch. Its excellemt. The finish is long and complex which makes up for the relatively thin mouthfeel. Every time i taste it theres something new and different. That alone puts it in 90 territory.

Nose - Fresh red berries, honeycomb, lactic funk, saline, ripe plums (w/ water) Pretty much the same, but more vibrant Taste - Burst of ripe plum, saline, honey, orange zest, ginger heat, apples (w/ water) Ripe plums, candied orange zest, candied ginger, orange zest, much more vibrant and brighter Finish - Gentle heat, plums, orange bitters, gentle fruit stem bitter (w/ water) Fresh but tart plums, more red berry tannic skin sweet, oranges Score - 86/100 Final Thoughts - This one is much better than Adam's first Black Art attempt, but it's still lacking a bit of something. It's still quite good, but I guess doesn't quite live up to the Black Art hype. This one is very unique in that I get a lot of fresh/ripe plum notes in this one that's quite nice. Not sure what kind of casks impart that flavor, but I quite enjoyed it. This almost feels like Adam was trying to compensate for what he did with the first Black Art and made this one much more vibrant and have more sweet notes than his 5.1. Much better nose in that it's brighter and feels more vibrant and lively. Better balance of flavors throughout and just generally more enjoyable from start to finish. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - Probably not NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

I totally adore this..... pinning it down to a flavour profile is hard as it changes every time you try it, so at some point your going to get the following: On the Nose, Peaches in syrup; strawberries; vanilla; gingerbread; almonds; dark chocolate; coconut. In the mouth I get apples; icing sugar; mangoes; earthy spice; sea salt; walnuts; hazelnuts; sherry sweetness There is really nice creamy finish; Coconuts; sea spray; dark chocolate; tropical fruits which is reasonably long. Great Whisky

Initially quite fruity, slightly spicy, very enjoyable