1. Bruichladdich – Black Art 1990 23YRS
Bruichladdich’s popular “Black Art”, which is comprised of whisky from a selection of casks that are kept a closely guarded secret. The only information released about this mysterious whisky is that it was distilled in 1990, aged for 23 years during which American and French Oak casks are used and bottled at 49.2% alcohol volume. All other information appears to be suppressed, just like the recipe for the Big Mac sauce.(Maltmileage)
Bruichladdich state that ‘Black Art is Master Distiller Jim McEwan’s personal voyage into the heart of Bruichladdich’ and that he worked ‘with the very finest American and French oak to explore that most esoteric relationship between spirit and wood’
Nose: Toast from white bread, dusty cinnamon, dry sherry and a mixture of dried and some fresh fruit, with touches of something tropical and just a hint of peat in there.
Palate: This is a very sweet whisky with brown sugar, sherry and pepper spices with a somewhat metallic note in the taste.
Linger: Fresh, ripe apricots with a linger that’s long on the tongue but short in the throat.
2. Jim Beam – The Devil’s cut
As whiskey ages in the barrel, evaporation takes place, and this loss is commonly referred to as the “angel’s share.” So, whiskey casks that age for many years can lose considerable volume. This drives up costs, in addition to the other costs of storage, monitoring by the master distiller’s team and lack of revenue with everyday that passes in the cask.
Besides evaporation, whisky is absorbed into the very wood of the barrel it occupies. I do not think the volume is very great, but the marketing folks for Beam Global have cleverly labeled this loss of volume as the “Devil’s Cut.”
The Jim Beam people claim to have developed a “proprietary process” which extracts the bourbon in the barrel wood, after the bourbon barrels have been emptied. This extracted spirit is then blended with six year old Jim Beam bourbon, bottled at 90 proof, and Devil’s Cut is thus created.
Tasting notes from Jason Scotch Reviews :
Nose (undiluted)
Oak, burnt almond and charred wood.
Palate (undiluted)
I am greeted by sweet, root beer flavored rock candy, followed by big lashes of saddle leather, spiced cedar, pecan pie, cocoa and vanilla.
Finish (undiluted)
No longer sweet. Now seriously mouth watering blast of brown sugar, cinnamon sticks, cloves, fudge and oak.
3. Arran – The Devil’s Punch Bowl – Chapter III
The thrilling conclusion to The Devil’s Punch Bowl series from Arran. Following in the smouldering steps of Chapter I – The Devil’s Punch Bowl and Chapter II – Angels and Devils, The Fiendish Finale is comprised from a devilishly delicious selection of casks, including 8 Sherry butts, 8 French oak barriques and 5 bourbon barrels.
Tasting notes from a random guy on Reddit :
Nose: Big spices- Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Vanilla. Fragrant perfume- Lavender. Crème Brulee. Lots of wine. Some pungent wine-oak. Red wine Vinegar. Fresh citrus. Tropical fruit salad. Poppy seed. Slight smoke. Pepper.
Palate: Hot. Brown sugar. Raisins. Lemongrass. Red wine. Soap. Plums. Red apple. Tropical fruits. Pepper. Agave. Very oaky. Slight vinegar. Strawberry laces. Pungent port. Mango.
Finish: Dry wine. Oak and fruit.
4. Bowmore 10YO The Devil’s casks II
Legend has it that the devil once visited the church in Bowmore. Now if you’ve ever seen it,you’ll know that the church is circular, built that way (so it’s said) so there would be no corner in which the devil could hide. The local congregation spotted the devil and chased him down through the village, into the gates of Bowmore Distillery. Here, the warehousemen were filling casks and loading them aboard the paddle steamer, The Maid of Islay. Gates and doors locked tight shut, every inch of the distillery was searched, but to no avail. As legend goes, the devil escaped in a cask of Bowmore bound for the mainland.
Tasting notes from Whisky Israel :
Nose: Starts peaty, but not quite so much peat, a big bang of red fruit, to the point of being sort of marmalade-ish, and some dirty sherry notes, this is a big sherry Bowmore, and not that i had not expected it to be, I sure did. a bit of salty, or briny feel to it too, as well as tar and molasses. It’s big, but not very devilish…
Palate: Wham! this is a BIG whisky. quite an impact on first sip right there… quite oaky and peaty (lots of peat – for the peat freaks out there) and certainly a big sherry effect too as one can expect. more spices arrive on the 2nd wave of sensations, as well as some sweet marinated BBQ meat , ash and coal.
Finish: quite woody, with sherry going on a long way, the red fruit jam lingers as well as peat, and spices, it’s very dry.
5. Compass Box – The Peat Monster
A peaty offering and a vatted malt created by the renowned John Glaser, of Compass Box. The Peat Monster contains whisky from secret distilleries (all very cloak and dagger). They can tell us that some was from the village of Port Askaig in Islay, with some south coast Islay whisky too, vatted with Ardmore. This was matured in a mix of first fill and refill American oak casks.
Tasting notes from Whisky Gospel :
Nose: Burning coals, salty sea spray and earthy Islay peat feeling (Caol Ila?), cereal and grains, sweet stewed fruits and honey, chimney smoke.
Palate: Starts with strong ashes and oak wood taste and later on a sweet concentrated oranges and floral/herbal notes joins in. Some marinated BBQ meat note.
Finish: Long finish, lingering notes of of sweet, peat and floral notes. some residue of spices.
