Bruichladdich Black Art 1990 04.1 Edition 23 Year

Do I enjoy every note I get out of this? Not exactly, but do I respect every note, hell yes. Wow man, I thought the Ardbeg Kelpie was a complex dram, but this one is a complete mindfuck, but not all in a negative way. Usually, I stick to peat and smoke, but this is none of that. On this nose, I get spices, lavender, sherry goodness, and citrus. On the palate, there are mushrooms in there, I kid you not. There is tropical subtle pineapple mixed with chocolate and Chinese five spice. This is insane. Malty aftertaste on the finish with a hint of chocolate fudge. It's like reading War and Peace. It's exhausting, but a great exercise. There is literally so much going on that I think it would take an entire bottle to sincerely reach everything there. Thanks to a Dram Dude (you know who you are) for the sample.

$37.50 CAN (roughly $30 USD) for 1 oz. at The Caledonian in Toronto ~2016. This was a steal, and last I checked they are now out, as are all bottles in my area. The inertia for me to buy a bottle was that the nearest store that I knew of that had this in stock was 45 minutes away. If it was closer, the $430 price tag would be no obstacle. I had a second ounce, and even bought a pour for a good friend, who was relatively new to whisky. He summarized the experience better than I could: “Wow. Fruity. Smooth. Salty. Wow. I didn’t know whisky could be so smooth.” I encouraged him to let the full finish fade before taking the next sip. After 10 minutes, he got tired of waiting and went outside for a smoke. NOSE: Bruichladdich’s whole tagline is that they believe in “terroir”, believe in the people, believe in Islay. Blah blah blah. Jim McEwen believes in France with this bottle. “La Marseillaise” plays in my head immediately when I smell the glass. You get hit with bordeux, cognac, and vermouth. Intense exotic fruitiness comes after, and now the music changes to merengue. Papaya, guava jam, mangoes. Just when you think you’ve gone as far away from Islay as metaphysically possible, the brine brings you back. What all those fancy sweet French cognacs are missing, apparently, is a wee bit of salt. PALATE: Orgasmic. The eyes roll into the back of the head. The toes do curl. You can’t even describe the arrival or the first sip, and you have to taste again. The fruitiness is incredible and powerfully delivered by a thick, viscous, briny liquid. Strawberry jam, raisins, sultanas. This transitions into figs and dates. Then you get some nuttiness with almonds and cashews. Then it becomes sweet again. What a rollercoaster! FINISH: Like a good aged whisky, swallowing is the beginning of the experience. The nose is re-experienced in the aftersmell as vapors rise from the depths of the gullet back into the nose. It’s cognac and sherry, with a decent warmth of alcohol. I dare not add water to temper this beast. Ever so slowly, there is a transition to more familiar territory; after several minutes, the taste dries and saltiness dominates. Perhaps there is a hint, or just a memory, of ash; maybe from peaty gamma radiation from whatever nuclear malting processes Bruichladdich uses to produce Octomore. VERDICT: This is not for a single malt purist, and is the perfect discourse for those just looking for something that tastes amazing, and those looking for something that exemplifies single malt whisky. This is as French as it is Scottish. I don’t mind at all. Jim McEwen has created the end-all be-all of wine-finished whiskies. If you see a bottle, and you don’t hate wine finishes, buy it. I hope the 5.1 is as good. MARK: 96/100.