Skip to main content

Bruichladdich 23 years Black Art 4.1

malty spicy
3.4
(4)€225Scotland, Islay, Single Malt

Flavours

Whisky character

Fresh
Warm
Mild
Full
Smooth
Spicy

Taste mentions

Facts

Jim McEwan spent decades at Bruichladdich and never told anyone what went into Black Art. He picked the casks alone, kept the recipe in his head, and let the whisky make its own case. Version 4.1 was the last one he chose before he moved on. The spirit was distilled in 1990 and bottled in June 2014, unfiltered and uncoloured. What comes out is dark and slow: apple and dried fruit, cocoa, old leather, a trace of cigar box. The palate turns spicier, with apricot, anise and dark chocolate. Pour it neat and give it time.

Compare prices

No shops found to compare.

Good alternatives

Reviews

3.4 /5

4 reviews

1 star
2 star
3 star
4 star
5 star

What do you think?

About the distillery

Distillery

Bruichladdich

Bruichladdich distillery is located on the Isle of Islay, Scotland, and was founded in 1881. It was closed in 1994, but then re-opened in 2001 under new ownership. The distillery produces a range of single malt whiskies, including heavily peated, unpeated, and triple-distilled varieties. Bruichladdich uses only Scottish barley and sources its water from nearby Loch Indaal. The distillery also produces a gin called The Botanist, which is made with 22 different botanicals, many of which are sourced locally on Islay.

4.1Average rating

96Whiskies on Distilld

Flag of ScotlandScotland

Islay

Most popular whiskies from Bruichladdich

About the Bruichladdich 23 years Black Art 4.1

Bruichladdich 23 years Black Art 4.1 is a single malt from Islay, off the west coast of Scotland. It was distilled in 1990 and bottled in June 2014 at 49.2% ABV. The spirit rested 23 years in oak casks. The distillery released it non chill filtered and at natural colour. The label gives you the age and the strength. It tells you almost nothing else. Black Art is the work of Jim McEwan, the distillery's master distiller. He chose the casks himself and never disclosed the recipe. Only he and a few trusted colleagues knew what went into each batch. Version 4.1 was his final release in the series. That secrecy is the point. You get an age, a strength, and a vintage. Everything else stays behind the label. The nose opens on apple and dried fruit, with honey underneath. Cocoa and old leather sit behind them, plus a whiff of cigar box. The palate turns drier and warmer. Apricot and lemon arrive first, then anise, almond and baking spice. Dark chocolate runs through the middle. Twenty three years in wood shows in the weight. The finish is long and gently sweet, with cream, clove and a last trace of cocoa. Each Black Art edition comes from a different vintage and a different cask mix. Bruichladdich 23 years Black Art 4.1 is the 1990 release, bottled in 2014. Once that stock ran out, there was no making more. So this is not a bottle you can revisit next year. It is one man's final selection, held at 49.2%. That combination of age, secrecy and a closed door is rare.