Islay distillery reveals tenth annual edition of the deliberately elusive spirit 

Bruichladdich has launched Black Art Edition 10, the tenth annual release in the elusive, limited-edition series.

Since its inception in 2012, Black Art has intrigued whisky fans across the world with its mysterious allure. The antithesis to Bruichladdich’s traditional commitment to total transparency, where everything from cask type to specific barley varietal is revealed, Black Art is created in total secrecy.

Unique and unrepeatable, only Head Distiller, Adam Hannett, knows the recipe to Black Art 10. The composition of the casks remains a mystery, with only the vintage revealed.

“As a whisky brand committed to giving our customers as much information as we possibly can, our Black Art series is a real leap of faith” explains Adam, Head Distiller at Bruichladdich Distillery. 

“The creative freedom I have when creating this single malt is a privilege. It allows me to take risks and explore the realms of possibility. Whisky making relies on the harmonious marriage between cask and spirit, and Black Art 10 is a celebration of the extraordinary things that can happen when we abandon the detail and simply appreciate and enjoy the flavour.”

A 1993 vintage, the unpeated 29 year old single malt has been created using pre-renaissance casks from Bruichladdich Distillery which have been maturing exclusively on Islay for almost three decades.

On the nose, an immediate bright and fruity note moves into praline, cedar and leather. Orange barley sugars, ginger nut biscuits and lemon meringue pie dance on the palate, with toasted oak bringing smooth chocolate and vanilla. Velvet in texture, the smooth finish has notes of tablet and fudge, while subtle tobacco and a hint of ginger linger.

Black Art Edition 10 is available now at bruichladdich.com and selected specialist whisky retailers, priced at £395.

About Bruichladdich Distillery

Bruichladdich Distillery is situated on the southwestern tip of the Hebridean island of Islay.

Bruichladdich Distillery crafts four different spirits:

• Bruichladdich, unpeated Islay single malt Scotch whisky

• Port Charlotte, heavily peated Islay single malt Scotch whisky (40PPM)

• Octomore, the world’s most heavily peated Scotch whisky series (80+PPM)

• The Botanist Gin, the first Islay dry gin

The distillery was first established in 1881 by the Harvey brothers. It survived through periods of closure including world wars and economic uncertainly, only to be closed for 7 years in 1994. The closure left all but two redundant.

The distillery was reopened by Mark Reynier, Simon Coughlin and Jim McEwan in 2001. The team have breathed new life into the community by keeping as much of their operations on Islay as possible. They installed a bottling hall in 2003, first grew Islay barley in 2004 (52% of annual production in 2021) and have since added additional warehousing to ensure all single malts are conceived, distilled, matured and bottled on the island. They are one of only two distilleries on the island (9 total) to make those claims.

The independently owned Bruichladdich was purchased by luxury spirits company Remy Cointreau in 2012. They continue to invest in the values of the business, in being Islay-based, and in the local community.

In 2020, Bruichladdich became one of the only distilleries in the world to be B Corp certified. They are the first gin and whisky distillery in Europe, and one of three globally, to be recognised for balancing profit and purpose.

Provided by Bruichladdich