malt_muser
Bruichladdich Black Art 1990 04.1 Edition 23 Year
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed
September 13, 2019 (edited May 14, 2020)
23 years old
Non chill-filtered
Natural color
49.2% abv
Nose: rich sweetness. Dark honey and maple syrup; chocolate; butter cream; slight oakiness; dark fruit in the background, like plum, raisin and raspberry; hint of spice, maybe cinnamon? Very layered and complex and evolves in the glass with time.
Taste: incredibly rich and oily! Sweetness abounds with raw honey, milk chocolate, light caramel. Development comes in waves of coffee bean, juicy dark red fruit, slight herbal, orange/tropical, and well-rounded oak. It’s a ride.
Finish: a long one, with chocolate-covered dark cherry, hazelnut, caramel/toffee and a slight saltiness and hint of mint.
Value: avg around $400 USD. Worth it!
Final thoughts: what a whisky! This is a unicorn bottle for sure, and one that is luckily still fairly available at the time of this review (Sept 2019). The complexity of this dram makes every sip an odyssey of flavors. Don’t miss this one, even at the high price point...it’s likely your favorite unpeated single malt.
Final score: 5/5 Buy right now!
Malt musing: “When you drank the world was still out there, but for a moment it didn’t have you by the throat.” - Charles Bukowski
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@Rabbit_in_Red I just got their most recent one 6.1 —hopefully just as good
I have had the 5.1 @PBMichiganWolverine which was also quite stunning but I don't think was as good as 4.1. The first 3 are really tough to find.
All these Black Arts are supposedly amazing. Have you tried any other batches? Wondering if a particular one is better than another