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Black Bottle
Scotch Whisky has announced two new
single-batch-produced expressions in its
award-winning Alchemy Series – Black
Bottle Andean Oak and Black Bottle Smoke
& Dagger.
Black
Bottle Scotch Whisky has announced two
brand-new single-batch-produced
expressions in its Alchemy Series –
Black Bottle Andean Oak and Black Bottle
Smoke & Dagger. The two new expressions
will be available globally from 10
October, however UK-based Black Bottle
fans will be able to get their hands on
them from 3 October via
Master of
Malt.
A true experiment, Black Bottle Andean
Oak is the first Scotch Whisky to be
created with virgin Andean Oak casks at
the heart of its recipe. These casks
are said to impart a similar character to American
Oak, but with more tannins and spice
than their continental neighbour.
Featuring a high malt content with a
smoky undertone, Black Bottle Andean Oak
delivers flavours of spiced stone
fruits, vanilla pod and smoked almonds.
Black Bottle’s whisky alchemists have
combined smoke and charred oak to create
Black Bottle Smoke & Dagger: a dark,
smoky and intriguing spirit with a
hidden edge. Fusing together smoother,
older malts with a one-off,
supercharged, highly-peated Moine, Smoke
& Dagger offers a powerful yet balanced
taste. Featuring a mix of unconventional
blending techniques, Smoke & Dagger
delivers a powerfully peaty taste with
waves of golden barley, vanilla cream
and coastal sea spray, finishing with
lingering smoky salted caramel.
Both expressions are bottled at 46.3%
ABV, naturally coloured and non
chill-filtrated.
Julieann Fernandez, Master Blender for
Black Bottle, said: "Fearless
experimentation is so important to Black
Bottle and this year’s new expressions
perfectly capture that ethos. We pushed
ourselves this year to try something
never attempted before in whisky and
couldn’t be happier with the result.
Both expressions offer drinkers the
opportunity to explore the world of
smoky whisky in new and exciting ways.
"Andean Oak explores the sweeter side of
smoke and gives way to all the
incredible flavours that this rare cask
imparts. Having never worked with this
cask type before, we didn’t know what to
expect but the end result is just
beautiful! Lots of nutty spice and stone
fruit with that lovely hit of smoke that
Black Bottle is known for. Smoke &
Dagger is a real powerhouse with a
double hit of smokiness coming from the
malts of course, but the grains finished
in ex-peated casks really elevates it
and balances it with a rounded sweetness
too. We’re really proud of these and
hope our Black Bottle fans love them as
much as we do!"
Black Bottle will mark the global launch
of these new limited-edition expressions
with a three-day mind-reading pop-up in
Manchester that will challenge taste
perceptions around smoky whisky.
Using cutting edge
electroencephalography technology (EEG),
Black Bottle will measure electrical
activity inside a person’s brain at the
Cane & Grain bar in Manchester’s
Northern Quarter as they watch video
footage showcasing an abstract
visualisation of tasting notes and
ingredients. The technology will track
the viewer’s brain response, revealing
that their tastes might not be what they
think.
Craig Black, Global Brand Manager for
Black Bottle, said: "Whisky drinkers are
looking for new and exciting spirit
experiences, becoming less concerned
with traditional whisky categories and
instead are shopping across the whisky –
and indeed premium spirits – spectrum.
The Black Bottle Alchemy Series
highlights our incredible story whilst
offering the perfect blend of authentic
heritage, incredible spirit quality and
bold, unconventional character."
The Alchemy Series launched in 2021 with
two experimental releases (Double Cask
and Island Smoke). They were the only
two blended Scotch Whiskies to scoop a
highly coveted ‘Master’ award at the
Scotch Whisky Masters. Island Smoke was
also named Best Scotch Blended whisky in
the 2022 World Whisky Awards, whilst
Double Cask was announced category
winner at both the 2022 ISC and IWSC
awards.
The two new limited-edition expressions
join Experiment #1 and #2 as well as
Black Bottle’s Original and 10-year-old
expressions. Experiments 3 & 4 of the
Alchemy Series are available globally
from 10 October from specialist online
whisky shops such as
The Whisky Exchange,
The Whisky Shop,
Hard To Find Whisky
and
in the UK from 3
October via
Master of
Malt |
