Advent 2022 #13 - Bruichladdich Black Art 7.1

Always happy to try something like this, so I picked up a sample. As a person who primarily prefers peated whisky, something like this is a really good choice for a blind review as I can’t be biased (as much) by my own preferences, or by expectations for something that’s supposed to be special or very highly regarded.

Bruichladdich Black Art 7.1, Islay Single Malt, 48.4% ABV

Minutia: Distilled in 1994 and matured for 25 years before bottling in July 2019. Reviewed blind, neat in an opaque glencairn.

Color: Tawny; 1.4.

Nose: Richly fruity and nutty. Cereals, dry wine. Green wood. The nose is nice and interesting.

Taste: Sweet malt, like candy. Spices. These play well together.

Finish: Wood. Grains, with an occasional sweet note popping in. Long.

Guess: I can’t imagine this is anything but Black Art 7.1

With a nose a rich as this one, with no sign of peat, I can’t think of a sample I’ve bought that might compare, so this was an easy one. It’s very nice, and a good choice for a change of pace from peat, but it doesn’t ‘wow.’ It had me thinking of a 25-year-old Glen Moray I had recently and falling a bit shy of it, though I must say that was one of my favorite unpeated whiskies to date, so falling short isn’t exactly a knock.

Score: 82