In case you somehow hadn’t heard, everything from the 1990s is cool again, including, apparently, whiskey, as Bushmills’s latest release is a 30-year-old single malt that began its life back in 1991.
While you won’t find any bright neon colors or zig-zag patterns on the bottle, what you will find inside is an incredibly smooth single malt that might just take you by surprise. The 100% Irish barley mashbill was triple distilled on Halloween, 1991, before beginning its lengthy aging process in bourbon and sherry casks. After becoming a teenager, the 13-year-old whiskey was then transferred to Madeira casks where it spent another 17 years stewing in its delicious juices before being bottled.
The result is the third release in Bushmills’s red-hot Rare Casks collectors’ series, and it's one of the smoothest Irish whiskeys we’ve ever tasted, with sweet and rich vanilla on the nose and a refreshingly light, almost fruity taste. That’s how one of our editors interpreted the hooch, while Bushmills’ official tasting notes are a nose of walnut oil, caramelized sugar, baked peach and hazelnut; a taste of baked dark fruits, nutty praline, toffee, sweet vanilla, chocolate, more caramelized sugar and a touch of black coffee; and a finish that’s long and dry with orange peel, warm spices and oak.
Given its rarity and the extraordinary amount of time and care that went into making it, Bushmills’s latest limited release is priced at a premium, with a whopping MSRP of $1,000. That’s pretty rarified air for an Irish whiskey, but we can guarantee you’ve never had an Irish whiskey quite like this ‘90s throwback.
