Bruichladdich Black Art Edition 11.1 24 yo

 

 

 

44,2°

Distillery : Bruichladdich - Islay

Oak Casks

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2023

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

So this is the 11th edition of Black Art, and the 7th under the responsibility of Adam Hannett, the venue's master distiller. For the occasion, he has decided not to divulge the types of cask used for this one - it's a secret and he won't tell anyone. Okay, but why is that? Are there any unmentionable casks? A tequila or mezcal cask that would bring down the value of the bottle? I'm surprised, because this type of cask was rarely used in the 1990s. In any case, I'm frustrated by this cult of secrecy. For me, the pleasure of discovering a bottle is also knowing where it comes from and how it was made. The second strange thing is that the juice is 24 years old. Since it was bottled in June 2023, we can deduce that the most recent cask was distilled in early 1999 or late 1998. Except that the distillery was closed at the time, and was not producing anything at all. Production ceased in December 1993, so either the whisky is much older than 24 years, or one or two casks were distilled when the distillery was closed, or the whisky was kept somewhere other than in oak casks for some time, which would explain the age inconsistency. Honestly, it's the 3rd hypothesis that seems most likely to me, and it would explain why Adam Hannett is fiercely secretive about the ageing process. 1286 bottles were produced, but this is only specified by one site, so this figure is not totally reliable. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

It's both winey, with a hint of vanilla, and rich in dried fruit, damp leather, grapefruit zest, melting chocolate on a juicy pear, floral and exotic fruit notes, it's pulpy, full-bodied and sweet. A light sea breeze tops it all off, with a pinch of coarse salt. On the palate, it's smooth and suave, with dried fruit, dates, figs, but also rose loukoum, pistachio, notes of wood, cinnamon, nutmeg and saffron. The fruit becomes darker, quetsches, red grapes. Quite a long finish, with a certain character despite the low alcohol content, almond paste, warm honey, fruit coulis, coconut crumbs, dried pineapple. 

 

In Short, 

It's very complex and varied, I'm thinking of Bourbon and Sherry casks, but also white wine or white spirits casks. We know the distillery staff's taste for experimentation, and that's why we like them, which is why I really don't understand why the ageing processes are kept secret. A Bruichladdich fan is prepared to hear a lot, has no prejudices, and is always thirsty for discovery. I know it, because I'm one of them, and that's why we love this distillery, because it's always looking for original things. So why keep it a secret? I have the impression that it's a shameful family secret, but even in that case it's better to get it all out in the open. Anyway, the fact remains that this is a very good whisky, original, rich and varied, and totally successful. Obviously, the price is too high for what it is, but that's the price of experimentation I suppose. For absolute fans only. 

Score : 90

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                 Akua Naru - Poetry : How Does It Feel Now???

Littlemill 1990 Cask Reflections Release N°1 33 yo

 

 

 

49,1°

Distillery : Littlemill - Lowlands 

Refill Bourbon Barrels and Mizunara Oak Finish

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2024

Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

It's been more than thirty years since the distillery was mothballed now, and there are not a lot of casks left. They were acquired by the Loch Lomond group, who keep them on their distillery site. A limited edition is released occasionally, each time more expensive, older and rarer. Here, we have a 33-year-old divided into 570 bottles. A finishing period of 4 months and two weeks in Mizunara oak casks will no doubt add a little more finesse to the woodiness. I would have liked to know whether the whisky was chill-filtered or not, but no one said. It's a shame, because it's important. The idea that it could be seems rather scandalous to me, for a product of this age and price. It's been almost a year since it was released, as the first in the Cask Reflections series, and I think the 2nd will be arriving soon.  

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

The woodiness is quite intense from the start, with dry bark, tinder, sandalwood, liquorice stick. Light, spongy candied fruits, grapefruit, papaya, yellow plums, discreet citrus notes mixed with forest nuances. Almond cream, mashed banana. On the palate, it's really smooth and balanced, rosewater, lychee, flower honey, white melon. The spices are not at all aggressive but very present, cinnamon, nutmeg. The finish is long and winding, with a return of liquorice, rough wood, bread cake, dried raisins, melting chocolate, fig paste, gingerbread, kiwi. 

 

In Short, 

I don't know if this kind of whisky is really made to be drunk, the price is so high that it will also attract investors, who won't touch a drop of it, and will be looking to sell it for more in ten years' time. That said, it has to be very good, so that the value is not lost. That's the paradox of whisky speculation. You have to be sure that it's very good, even if you never open the bottle. And so it is excellent, and even a little more so. The nose is the most impressive, but the palate is perfect too. The finish could have been a little longer, but it has other qualities, it's really varied and deep. In short, this is an exceptional whisky. The finish in Mizunara oak casks brings an intense woodiness and notes of creamy honey. I had a great time, and I wish I'd tasted this nectar in better conditions, perhaps my score could have been even better. 

Score : 91

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           Dhafer Youssef - Soupir Eternel

Tamnavulin 2007 Connoisseurs Choice Cask Strength 16 yo c. 700367

 

 

 

57,4°

Distillery : Tamnavulin - Speyside

Refill Bourbon Barrel

Independent Bottling 

By Gordon & MacPhail 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2024

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

Mothballed in 1995 and reopened only in 2007, Tamnavulin is not a very well-known distillery, first because of all these years of silence, then because a lot of its production goes to the Blends. And there are very few independent bottlings from this distillery. This one is a 16 year-old, raised in a Refill Bourbon Barrel, that means the distillate has everything to thrive. Only 165 bottles were produced. 

 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

A small deluge of fruit, white and yellow peaches, bananas and pineapples, white and red grapes, mirabelle plums, juicy pears. A touch of cereal, hay, cowshed, then mixed floral fragrances, quite pleasant, cherry blossom, tulip, daisy. Pastry cream in the background, citrus fruit, candied lemon. On the palate, it's solid but less subtle, creamy vanilla, almond milk, liquid honey, lime pulp. Discreet spices, nutmeg, ginger. Very long and explosive finish, lightly burnt chocolate fondant, walnut biscuits, semi-salted butter, cashew nuts. 

 

In Short, 

I really liked it, especially the nose, which is very fruity and floral. The palate is slightly honeyed and milky, but a little less complex than the nose. The finish is very well done, very well executed. A fine product, a credit to this distillery. What's more, the price is right, but when you have a good product at a low price, what usually happens is that it sells out quickly, and that's the case here. There are still a few German sites that do not deliver abroad, and auctions. 

Score : 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           Marcator - Yearning

Bunnahabhain 2009 Connoisseurs Choice Cask Strength 14 yo c. 358

 

 

 

57,6°

Distillery : Bunnahabhain - Islay 

1st Fill Sherry Hogshead 

Independent Bottling 

By Gordon & MacPhail

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2024

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Almost Unpeated

 

 

 

There are some bottles that you just go for without thinking, these are equations that can only lead to quality. When you read Bunnahabhain, Gordon & MacPhail, Sherry, you know it can only be good. And if, in addition, the age is honourable and the cask is first-fill, our first impression can only be confirmed. 361 bottles were delivered to the public. Not to be confused with another Bunnahabhain of the same age and vintage, produced by the same bottler, but for the benefit of The Whisky Explorer Society, which is why I've included the cask number. 

 

 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It :  

Soft toffee, marzipan biscuit sprinkled with cinnamon, nougatine, genoise, brioche, it's a little summit of indulgence, mellow and sweet. Palets bretons, filled with semi-salted butter, white and red grape clafoutis, whipped cream, the whole enhanced by a very slight coastal character, sea spray, iodine freshness. Well-balanced on the palate, speculoos and delicate woodiness, apple cannelés, a variety of spices, even exotic ones, curry. The finish is long and languorous, brown sugar melting in a caramel sauce, grilled bacon, crushed hazelnuts. 

 

In Short, 

It's really what you'd expect, cakey and delicious, with a slight saline character. It's good, but it would have been even better with a few more years. Personally, I would have let this barrel work a little longer. The fact remains that you have a superb time, and the price is not at all excessive, so it's worth buying this little gem, which I got on a very attractive special offer.

Score : 89  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           anaiis - In The Dark

Ben Nevis 2012 Single Cask Collection Foundations 11 yo

 

 

 

59,4°

Distillery : Ben Nevis - Highlands 

American Wine Cask 

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2024

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Almost Unpeated

 

 

 

In 2023, a 10-year old Ben Nevis caused a sensation at Whisky Live Paris, because it had been aged in an American wine cask, and the profile was truly original. Last year, at the latest Whisky Live Paris, we were treated to the sister cask, another Ben Nevis aged in an American wine cask, but this time aged for 11 years. It was integrated into the Collection Foundations to produce the same effect as its predecessor, but this time the comments were less enthusiastic. 264 bottles were put up for sale. 

 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

It's complex on the nose, but very vinous all the same, with several woody phases, peach and apricot stones, balsamic vinegar, pan-fried mushrooms, red fruit purée, citrus fruits, lime, grapefruit. On the palate, the distillery's profile comes back a little, with exotic fruits, but also swamps, chocolate for cakes, forest berries, some red fruits, but more redcurrants, expressive spices, cloves, nutmeg, cumin. Long, powerful, deep finish, charcoal and damp earth, black radish, roots, liquorice, cooked apples. 

 

In Short, 

This time, the magic didn't work as well. It's very interesting, but the balance isn't perfect, the cask eats up a bit of the distillery's character. It's still very complex and nuanced, even deep, but there's no real overall idea, the different markers are scattered and don't form a coherent whole. That said, I liked the finish, which I found perfect. The nose isn't bad and the palate is intense, it's a good, even very good whisky, but it's not a success either. As for the price, it's really high and not worth buying. 

Score : 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           Savages - You're My Chocolate

Kilchoman Loch Gorm 2025 Edition 10 yo

 

 

 

46°

Distillery : Kilchoman - Islay

Oloroso Sherry Butts and Hogsheads

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2025

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Peated around 50 ppm

 

 

 

This is the 13th edition of Loch Gorm, first launched in 2013, and the 2nd to be aged to my knowledge, as the 2024 edition was 9 years old. 10 years old seems the right age to me, with 18,000 bottles going on sale, that's how established the product's reputation is with the public. This means that 23 Oloroso Sherry casks have been used, 20 of which were first fill, and they all came from Bodega José y Miguel Martin, one of the most renowned. All this should result in some fine quality. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Despite the intensity of the peat, it's very delicate, warm caramel, blackberry jam, a pinch of blackcurrant, a good dose of soot, cola-flavoured granita, almost solid smoke, full of charcoal. Dark cherries and grapes, dark chocolate, a few coffee beans. Chocolate cake batter, with melted butter. After a while it really takes off, a real deep fullness sets in. The palate is full-bodied, with various red fruits, perhaps a little beetroot, and then a thick layer of peat, liquorice and muscat grapes. Large fragments of lignite. Not very strong spices, cloves, cumin. Fairly long finish, not very powerful, charcoal, cola, ginger, coffee grounds, a touch of bitterness, then it's like an oil-tipped beach, fuel oil, gas oil, tar puddles. Pure cocoa.

 

In Short, 

Such rigorous cask selection and an acceptable age are bound to produce results, and what we have here is an excellent Loch Gorm, maybe the best. The red fruit and powerful peat blend together magnificently. On the other hand, I didn't smell any of the citrus, which several reviewers have mentioned. Never mind, it's really very good. The only remaining problem is the price, which is still too high for what it is. A promotion would be welcome, but there certainly won't be one. 

Score : 88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           Nostakghia - Kingsom of Disturb

The Hearach 2018 Single Cask N°1789 Collection Foundations 5 yo

 

 

 

59,7°

Distillery : Isle of Harris - Islands 

1st Fill Bourbon Cask 

Original Bottling 

Limited Edtion 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2024

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Peated around 14 ppm

 

 

 

In my opinion, the 5 most promising young distilleries are Ardnamurchan, Lagg, Torabhaig, Raasay, and Harris, one of the least known, built on an island in the Outer Hebrides, with a population of less than 2,000. Their first expressions were released at the end of 2023, and were not totally convincing, as the juice is still a little immature, though interesting, the profile is costal, but also light and airy. Somewhere between Talisker and Highland Park. To deepen this discovery, the distillery invited us to taste some Single Casks in 2024, to focus on the purity of the distillate. This one is the Single Cask reserved for France, and of course La Maison du Whisky has made it its own, including it in the Collection Foundations designed for Whisky Live Paris 2024. 247 bottles were extracted from the cask, which comes from the American Bourbon distillery Heaven Hill. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Very airy nose, a few cumulonimbus clouds in a clear sky, slight influence of the cask, wood woven around a jar of honey and grapefruit jam. Fresh iodine, almost minty, with a touch of sea spray and seaweed, which washes up on a beach lined with cereals, pine resin and rye biscuits. candied lemon, sprinkled with cinnamon and cocoa powder, almond milk, light peat in the background, the spices gradually become stronger, cloves, nutmeg. a hint of blood orange, crushed walnuts and chestnuts. 

 

In Short, 

This is exactly what was needed to really appreciate this distillery. It's fine, subtle, airy, and at the same time there's a wilder, costal, peaty, even medicinal background. I really like it, and here we can see what this distillery could become if given enough time. The same whisky with ten more years could be exceptional. Unfortunately the price is high, and what's more, now that it's sold out, it's doubled. It's no longer worth buying, so perhaps it would be better to wait for the next Single Cask edition. 

Score : 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           JFDR - Instant Patience

Ledaig Unpeated 1995 Hidden Spirits Highproof Version 25 yo

 

 

 

50,2°

Distillery : Tobermory - Islands

Refill Bourbon Hogshead 

Independent Bottling 

By Hidden Spirits 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2020

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated 

 

 

 

And what happens to the thief when he no longer steals? And what happens to the bird when it stops flying? And what happens to Ledaig when it is no longer peated? Andrea Ferrari has sought to answer this question by bottling this Ledaig Unpeated, which has spent 25 years in a Refill Bourbon Hogshead. It's not Tobermory, it's Ledaig, because the production processes aren't the same, and this is indeed a Ledaig that's been made, except that the peat hasn't been added - it's the only ingredient that's missing. Was this an oversight, or was it done on purpose? We'll never know the answer to that question, but in my opinion, it was an oversight. 248 bottles went on sale. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Light autumn breeze, dead leaves macerated in orange jam, pastry cream, a dash of vanilla, a slice of lime. But there's still a background of dirtiness, melted plastic, grit, small gravel. Nice iodine fullness, sea spray, foam. Elderberry honey. On the palate, green tea, herbaceous notes, parsley, bay leaf, pinch of citrus fruit, powerful spices, cumin, cloves, black pepper, grapefruit pulp. Very long finish, shortbread biscuits, green apple, more grapefruit, freshly cut wood, slight bitterness, dusty charcoal. Fresh mint, almost fluoridated.

 

In Short, 

I can confirm that this is Ledaig, but without the peat. There's none of the fruitiness and elegance of Tobermory, it's still a dirty, unconventional whisky. And the peat is missing, because it would have given meaning to all this weirdness. It's a good bottling, but with too little fruit, sweetness or iodine to make up for the lack of peat, in my humble opinion. It's still original and very interesting, especially for the Ledaig fan that I am. But who's going to pay such a price, which is justified given the age of the beast, for something that's only interesting? It has to be exciting, bewitching, seductive. And here it isn't, it's just astonishing, mysterious and intriguing. I still had a good time, and I don't regret buying the sample, but for once, I'd advise against buying a bottle of Ledaig, and against buying from Hidden Spirits. But well done to Andrea Ferrari for the experience. 

Score : 88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           Anni - Deliverance (Acoustic Version)