Bruichladdich Black Art 1990 06.1 Edition 26 Year

This is a unique experience. It's very rich with smoke, but also sweet with apricot and toffee. For an unpeated whiskey, the richness is impressive. Not as strong as Laphroaig, but that's both fine and reasonable. The finish is delightful in it's perfect balance, which is a feat that only the best drinks manage. The nose is rich, smoky, and fruity with caramel in a great scotch manner. There is some rich chocolate in here, that is mixed with numerous other flavors. The spices are varied and hard to place. The little bit of stale bread that is present is rises up briefly and then fades into the tapestry of other flavors that make this drink a delight. The complexity is thorough and it dances well with the richness. The marriage of flavors is impressive. The fruitiness is varied and delightful, but combined with the smoke, wood, and other flavors it comes out balanced and delightful. There's a little bit of that coconut flavor that indicates age in here. The drink might be a bit mild for its age, but all of the flavors are great or better. It's sort of like Highland Park 18 meets Highland Park Valkyrie meets Glenmorangie Nectar D'Or meets Bushmill's 21. It's really good. Smoke, sea spray, salt, sweetness. There is some citrus fruit that tends toward the astringent side and there are also some minerals. Caramel comes through too with cocoa and and coffee. There are ginger, cinnamon, and clove hints to it but they don't make it terribly spicy. There's a ton of complexity in here but is it really worth the price? The nose is mellow and rounded with definite smokiness and sea spray. The palate has a bit of mineral, but it isn't too bad. The sea and smokiness come out immediately, but there is something rich and mellow backing them. There's a little bit of odd soapiness going on here that reminds me of orange and tangerine with with a spicy bitter burn. The flavor is very good with tons of complexity, but the soap is a bit much. A bigger sip bring sour some nice red fruit flavors like plum and a smaller bit of cherry, as well as hints of almond skins and pecan. The rich bitterness is tasty but it's a bit much and does not quite have the strength to suggest a 26 year drink (it's more int the 21 year range). This is reminiscent of a sweeter Glenfarclas 25, but it isn't quite as good and costs a ton more.

I have been waiting several years to finally try this whisky. There was something about the bottle that simply seduced me. Let me get things straight: I HATE BRUICHLADDICH THE CLASSIC LADDIE, but this one i wanted to try. The price people asked for this is ridiculous and that is why i have never tried it before. The Bruichladdich 26yo Black art from 1990, lived to its expectations and i discover some things on it that made this dram special. Its one of 18.000 bottles, and Adam, the master distiller is allegedly the only one who knows what its the cask type on this baby. Bottled at 46.9%abv. On the nose, it is SUPER COMPLEX, but let me start by telling you that i hated the "Classic Laddie" because it had a flavor and aroma of Soap, Shampoo and those chinese rice gums. Well, the VERY FIRST AROMA NOTE I GOT WAS.... Soap. Lol!. But then, the complexity appeared and the journey started. Sugar, Coffee, Toasted notes. Shampoo but a looooot better than the classic laddie. Creme brulee/toasted caramel, Dry grass; It still has the soap notes like washing your hands, but with some coffee infused foam. After first sip, the nose gave me a super chocolate-Thick note. On the palate, it is one great dram. Delicious Chocolate, Some grassy spiciness coming up. Oranges. Amazing dram with Brown sugar notes. Very rewarding. The aftertaste feels like bonfire where you have burnt dry grass; ginger madness. Beautiful dram. Dry grassy finish. Let this whisky breath, it is totally worth it. Overall, this is exactly what people say and brag about. My score for it is 99/100. Remarkable.

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.

Nose- Peaches in syrup; strawberries; vanilla; gingerbread; almonds; dark chocolate; coconut Palate- Initial wave of green apples; icing sugar; mangoes; earthy spice; sea salt; walnuts; hazelnuts; sherry sweetness Finish- Long, creamy finish; Coconuts; sea spray; dark chocolate; tropical fruits Man. Black arts never disappoints. My only complaint is that it’s not the most complex and mysterious dram in the world. Compared to the 4.1, the “mystery” just isn’t there. Still, this has an incredible nose, the palate is fantastic, and the finish is long and enjoyable. Loads of fresh berries and tropical fruits throughout, with hints of nuts and sherry as well. I don’t get much oak, which saddens me for a 26 year old. All in all, great dram, but could be better in a couple areas

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