Black Bottle

Black Bottle has a rich history dating back to 1879. I tasted my first one in 2011 at the whisky festival in Ghent. I cracked my second bottle in 2013, when it was not only given a new look, but also the recipe of the liquid was completely revised. Today I taste a miniature that was filled in 2019 (and surprisingly bottled at 40% instead of the 46.3% that we are now used to from the company). Bunnahabhain remains the fingerprint malt, but there are also some other Islay and Highland malts in the mix, in addition to the obligatory grain. Let's see if it’s as nice as I remember.

Surprisingly sweet nose on fried banana with caramel and some chocolate. Cherry candy and wine gums. Just a sigh of peat smoke. Very sweet and does not really take me to Islay, but nevertheless I think this smells very nice.

It is slightly oily, very sweet on licorice and cherries, banana and orange and nicely smoky. Heather honey appears and takes over from the banana.

In the finish I get some herbs for the first time. Nutmeg, pepper and a hint of cloves. It simmers for a long time and remains smoky until the end.

Very drinkable blend, which can serve as an introduction to smoky whisky. Not grand or earth-shattering at all, but with a price tag of 25 EUR you certainly get your money's worth.

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