10/05/2021 Bruichladdich

Bruichladdich 26yo 1994/2020 Black Art (45.1%, OB, B#08.1, 12000b): nose: an unusual cocktail of melted iron and red wine. Chaff, hay, desert dirt, tennis court, dry grapes (I want to say Malbec, but I would be talking out of my arse), joined by super-dark berries (closer to Merlot, then, eh?), brambles and a dollop of modelling clay, painted black. Although the wine is well present, it is nowhere near as invading as it was in the previous editions I have tasted. The nose turns warm and waxy, in the long run, and it allows redder fruits to emerge, slowly and timidly: strawberries at first, bilberries, cranberries and even blackberries. All that is still accompanied by hues of waxy clay and joined by a pinch of salt. The second nose brings some flavours to the table (somewhere between lilac and gorse flowers) and a glob of wax. Mouth: well, this behaves like a red wine on the tongue. Clay, hay, dried grape skins, and a lovely spiciness that grows in intensity (ground cinnamon and cloves). In hindsight, it is reminiscent of mulled wine, if less warm and less heady. The second sip is all warm wax, coating, chewy and gently drying, whilst the third adds a layer of blue mould (the dusty kind that grows on dairy), interlaced with no-less-mouldy berries. Finish: it is clear in the finish that this is whisky alright, with blonde barley caressing pineapple slices and nutty custard, whilst also retaining some of the wine-induced elements (and ditching others). Here are earth and berries, yet none of the tannins. It is a long finish that seems to sparkle more intensely over time, and it reminds me of red sparkling wine, perhaps Fragolino, though not quite that. In any case, it is subtle, almost discreet, despite it being 45.1%. Very likely, that subtle character is what stops this becoming tiresome (I found previous Black Art expressions very tiresome), but it is slightly disconcerting, in the beginning. Still, I find this a huge improvement on some of the earlier incarnations. 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, SA and JW) 7/10