Distiller whisky taste #200 Well that certainly crept up quickly, 200 whiskies. Cripes. Number 100 was 4th November 2022 with Port Charlotte CC:01. From the same whisky geniuses, six months later, Bruichladdich Black Art. This is the tenth instalment of Bruichladdich's Black Art series; an unpeated Islay single malt combining whiskies drawn from a secret selection of casks, known only to head distiller Adam Hannett. This is Hannetts sixth release of Black Art and combines malts distilled prior to the Bruichladdich's closure in the mid-nineties (and eventual reopening in 2001). Matured for 29 years in mystery casks. I enter this 200th tasting with some trepidation, still considering myself a rank amateur, I’m about to drink my oldest liquid yet. Something that seems to be shrouded with mystery and a borderline cult following. Black Art seems like it should be, or maybe is, beyond me. I feel I owe it to Adam Hannett and the Whisky community to unlock all this has to offer. I understand these Black Arts are to be respected. Comfy chair, check. Beethovens 9th, should work well. N: Oh snap. I love this already. In equal measure this is deep, dark, and foreboding whilst seemingly also being bright, vivacious, and enticing. We can start with the bright: apricots and pears, grape, blackcurrant, a white wine gooseberry. Next the vivacious: delicate barley sugar, honey, florals like elderflower cordial and new spring blossoms. The deep and dark: cherry cola, cedar wood, hazelnuts, toasted oak, dark chocolate, old supple leather. Half an hour into this and it just keeps ramping up. This is a foreboding and endlessly enticing nose that keeps reaching up from its own depths and dragging you further in. P: Wonderfully thick and syrupy arrival, full bodied and clings on for dear life. Sharp nuttiness and ginger spice lead the charge. Barley sugar drops with fragrant, fresh waxy orange spritz and a complimenting slightly bitter, dark orange marmalade. Orange turns slightly sweet and brightens to a jammy consistency and introduces a new raft of flavours, there is almond, a little cherry or blackcurrant, cinnamon, chocolate, and a fantastically warming toasty oak. Theres more though, so much more, a hint of a medicinal note some more traditional sherry cask flavours of dried fruits but also a fresh crisp acidity and tropical coconuty vibe. I barely know what I’m drinking anymore, there is a stupefying level of depth that whilst being superbly balanced is like driving 300 mph through a housing estate. F: Long. Soft and gentle. Toffee will guide you through the finish and introduce you to another experience altogether, there is honeydew melon, a slightly feinty touch of tobacco and vaguely herbal presence, a touch of candied ginger and maybe even preserved or candied lemon too. Oh, and then there is the toffee again, possibly the best toffee I’ll ever ‘eat’. I’ve taken 1/2 the dram and added two drops of water and given it another five minutes to marry. It doesn’t need it. Nothing happens with the nose, but the palate and finish become slightly more bitter and waxy. Take this neat. I’ve been on this for pushing one and a half hours. Hands down the most complex whisky I have ever drunk. What baffles me is that this isn’t even considered the best Black Art Bruichladdich have put out. Yet, undoubtedly this Black Art was created with some kind of witchcraft. This is a special creation and a true love letter to whisky. 200 reviews and just my fourth 5 star rating. [Pictured here with a special rock for a special whisky. The oldest whisky I’ve drunk deserved the oldest piece of the Earth available. Pictured along the Black Art is a chunk of the Acasta Gneiss from Yellowknife in Canadas Northwest Territories. At 4.031 billion years old this is the oldest intact piece of Earths crust on the planet.] Bruichladdich running scores Port Charlotte 10: 4.5/5 Port Charlotte CC:01: 5/5 Black Art 10.1: 5/5