I couldn’t consider a whisky for my first post from any other distillery than from Bruichladdich; where it all started for me! I’ll always remember with a certain amount of cheesy contentment in my heart and a goofy smile on my face the first bottle of 10 year old Bruichladdich I ever purchased. But that’s not the whisky I’m talking about today, so I won’t dwell.
I am talking about a very curious whisky by the name of
Black Art 02.2. In the glass the colour immediately stands out to mark this whisky
as something different than the usual Bruichladdich expressions. I’ve heard the
colour described as a fantastic amber colour, but it’s too red for that.
Mahogany is more fitting. On the nose it seems more like an old Cognac than a
whisky. It reminds me of the dried apricot notes you might find in a glass of
Remy Martin Couer-de-Cognac. Alongside the apricot there are lovely coffee
notes and something a-kin to aniseed.
Overall the nose is great.
I find Black Art 02.2 satisfyingly full and silky in the
mouth, giving a good length that seems to even get into the space between your
teeth! Generally the flavours are on the sweet end of the scale: think toffee
and some ripe summer fruits; but these flavours are well balanced with spicy
cinnamon and some mild saltiness (a satisfying trait imparted from the whisky’s
place of birth).
This whisky really gets me excited. Perhaps unfairly to
other whisky’s, I purchased this bottle while at the distillery, which I admit
undoubtedly gives me a certain sentimental fondness for it even before tasting
it. However the fact remains that this is a supremely interesting whisky made
with infinite skill and taste and truly is something to be experienced.
Slainte & Merry Christmas!
Region: Islay
Bottler: Bruichladdich
Name: Black
Art 02.2
Vintage: 1989
Bottled: 2010
Age: 21
years old
Cask type: American
& European Oak Casks
Strength: 49.7 %
Vol.
Bottle size: 700
ml
Score: 9/10
