Pass the fruit: Bushmills in the tasting glass
Always nice to visit part of the core range of a certain distillery. Today, we put the spotlight on an old but strong brand: Bushmills. We are drinking Irish whiskey here, but this product comes from Northern Ireland actually. Bushmills is the oldest licensed distillery in the world, according to themselves. We already once delved into this history with this tasting note. On the table the Bushmills livery that is in use since 2021. All are single malt which are, as is practise in Ireland, triple distilled.
Bushmills 10 years old single malt, bottled at 40 % abv
First things first: Matured for at least 10 years in hand-selected bourbon barrels and sherry butts.
Upon Sipping: Very light in colour but there is a light golden haze throughout the glass. These sherry butts did put some blush on this young Bushmills. Comes off very light and malty at the start, with whiffs of lemon candies and white peaches. Some watery hints of petrichor and delicate limestone. Campbeltown might be closer than Dublin here! The taste is very fruity and soft, with sour notes more to the sides of the tongue. Very accessible, but certainly not simple. The low abv is not bothersome at all, for a change. The 10 years maturation have done their job by taking off rough edges, but also not making it entirely mellow yet. All in all, a rather satisfying dram for those who love the fruiter, lighter style. The oily spirit really covers the tongue, and leaves you wanting more with a delightfully spicy finish, riding high on vanilla notes.
Word to the Wise: Colour me impressed, this Bushmills 10 delivers in spades. Fantastic fruity stuff with enough added layers to make it very entertaining. Your choice for the summer!
Score: 83 points.
Bushmills 16 years old rare Irish whiskey, bottled at 40 % abv
First things first: A triple cask expression: this bottling is made from a marriage of single malts matured for at least 16 years in hand-selected oloroso sherry butts and bourbon barrels, then finished in port pipes for up to a year.
Upon Sipping: Ah, this is certainly a step deeper compared to the Bushmills 10, with more tropical fruits on the nose. Between those fruits, mingled with more traditional red fruit you will find in sherry matured whisky, there remains a whiff of limestone. I find that beautiful, that it stands tall amidst strong cask influences. The sensation of the palate is remarkably light, and that is where this Bushmills suffers little. Maybe a tad too mellow now? The finish shows a lot of potential but can’t really make a fist on just 40 % abv. That is a pity, because this is a tremendously tasty single malt, with lots of fruit, drying like Turkish fruit, including the powder. On repeated tasting, you can pick up more bitter notes that comes from the port wood, but in general that part of this Bushmills is rather modest.
Word to the Wise: A handsome composition, this triple wood Bushmills. The low abv hurts it a little but in general this is a tremendous expression. Gives us a 43 or dare we dream 46 % version!
Score: 85 points.
Bushmills 21 years old Rare Irish Whiskey, bottled at 40 % abv
First things first: Another 40 % bottling, sadly, and it takes a leap in price too compared to the 16 years old. Old Bushmills is apparently rare. Cask maturation: a marriage of single malts matured for at least 19 years in hand-selected oloroso sherry butts and bourbon barrels, then finished in Madeira casks for a further two years. This is a longer finishing period compared to the “16”.
Upon Sipping: Madeira is fortified Portuguese wine, as you probably know. Will it be a fitting finale to our flight of Bushmills? At first sniff, this indeed comes off as a grand old lady compared to the youthful energy vibe I got from the previous samples. These deep scents from overripe fruit rise from the glass, but it could have been even more exuberant if you ask me. There is modesty at play here, but there is lots of mango, banana and papaya. Portugal meets Ireland! The limestone is no longer grey and white, but coloured in with red, yellow and green. These impressions continue to the palate, but here it also meets 21 years of wood impact, with milk chocolate influences. When you swallow, the fruity notes remain prevalent, all that is missing is a punch. With water, some fruits even explode on your tongue. The madeira influence is well balanced with the entire composure of the whiskey, but I do wonder after tasting the 16 and the 21, how these two expressions would thrive without finishing.
Word to the Wise: As we cannot taste a price label, this Bushmills 21 years old is the winner of the core range, and follows the years added in score development. At the risk of repeating myself once too often, the 40 % abv is of course a missed opportunity.
Score: 88 points.