BRUICHLADDICH CONTINUES THE BLACK ART SERIES

THE SAGA OF NON-PEATED AGED EXPRESSIONS 

Labels submitted to the TTB have revealed the next release in Bruichladdich’s Black Art series, Edition 09.1, the ninth release in the limited edition Black Art series and the fifth by Head Distiller Adam Hannett.

Black Art Edition 09.1 will be a vatting of single malts matured for a minimum of 29 years in various undisclosed casks, making it the oldest expression in the series to date. Black Art 09.1 will be bottled non-chill filtered and colour-free at 44.1% ABV.

Bruichladdich Black Art Edition 09.1 is a 1992 vintage of unpeated single malt Scotch whiskies matured entirely on Islay for all 29 years. As with all Black Art releases, the type of casks used in the vatting have not been revealed and the recipe is known only to Adam Hannett.

Limited to 12,000 individually numbered bottles, Bruichladdich Black Art Edition 09.1 will began shipping to stores November 1, 2021. The enigmatic arts of the distiller are shrouded by scattered facts. There are dark secrets within and marking the passage of time alone bestows insufficient heft. Through these burdened hands great oak and steadfast principles pass. High art, complex and mysterious is revealed only to those who see stars.

With so few of those old casks left in the warehouses of the Bruichladdich Distillery on Islay, The Black Art 9.1 was composed from 29 year old single malt. It’s a 1992 vintage, so spirit was distilled in the era before the distillery closed in 1994. Casks from those years only make up 1% of the stock in the Bruichladdich warehouses, informs the current press release. As always with the Black Art, it remains the Head Distiller's secret which type of casks he chose for the edition.

Inspiration was taken from the groundwork done in creating the first editions of this series, where there was a relentless pursuit of layers of flavour. 10 years later, they are again managing those stocks and recasking and blending more than done previously. But it’s that time in the casks that they’re working with now, because when the Black Art series started it was around 20 years old, now it’s almost 30 years old. So the evolution of that whisky by using those same stocks is really different.

The editions of the Bruichladdich Black Art series

This 29 year old Bruichladdich Black Art 9.1 is the oldest Black Art ever bottled. An overview of the previous Black Art editions of this series can be found on the distillery's website:

• Black Art 1 19 yo / Vintage 1989 / Jim McEwan
• Black Art 2 21yo / Vintage 1989 / Jim McEwan
• Black Art 3 22yo / Vintage 1989 / Jim McEwan
• Black Art 4 23yo / Vintage 1990 / Jim McEwan
• Black Art 5 24yo / Vintage 1992 / Adam Hannett
• Black Art 6 26yo / Vintage 1990 / Adam Hannett
• Black Art 7 25yo / Vintage 1994 / Adam Hannett
• Black Art 8 26yo / Vintage 1994 / Adam Hannett
• Black Art 9 29yo / Vintage 1992 / Adam Hannett

PRODUCER’S TASTING NOTES FOR BRUICHLADDICH BLACK ART 9.1

COLOUR: rust red

NOSE: Breathtaking. Tropical fruits, coconut, tobacco, spicy oak and flamed pine branches. With a little time, the whisky opens up seductive notes of mango, melon, sweet honey, orange zest, grilled pineapple and ripe strawberries, fresh from the field. The subsequent scent combination of coconut, ginger, buttery shortbread, vanilla pudding and a hint of tobacco promises a delightful drinking experience.

TASTE: The viscous texture of this dram and its depth are out of this world! Wood, tobacco, brown sugar as well as chocolate and coconut form the perfect basis for extremely intense fruit flavours. With a little water, this unbelievable complexity comes into its own even more.

FINISH: Incredibly long-lasting with seemingly endless notes that are reminiscent of apricot, mango, baked banana, sweet toasted oak, honey and vanilla.

CHARACTER: The Black Art 09.1 seems to be inspired by the first editions, when the magical search for the maximum complexity of flavours began. This fruity whisky undoubtedly matured in the best casks of the distillery, where it was patiently observed over many years, tasted again and again and finally bottled at the zenith of its development.

Source: Bruichladdich, whisky.com