Next Bushmills: Caribbean Rum Cask Aged?
November 15th, 2008Another little bird at WhiskyFest New York this past week told me what the next Bushmills release might be after the limited edition Bushmills 1608 blended whiskey runs its course over the next few months.
There’s been a Bushmills for sale at Travel Retail (Duty Free) that combines Bushmills aged entirely in pot still Caribbean rum casks with Bushmills aged in more traditional sherry and bourbon casks. I picked up a bottle at Travel Retail when I visited Bushmills back in 2007, but still haven’t opened up the bottle yet. This might be a good excuse to crack this sucker open sometime soon and taste it.
Has anyone tried this whiskey? If so, let us know what you think.
If I get any more definitive news on this, I’ll post it up.
November 15th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
It’s a nice light dram, John. Lots of Bushmills single malt grassiness mingling with plenty of coconut and marshmallows from the rum cask.
In a way I think it’s preferable to the single rum cask limited editions that they’ve released, which to my palate lose some of the Bush quality to overwhelming rum characteristics.
It would be interesting to see an older Bush in rum to see if the wood effect might mellow the rum aspects. The whiskey you have is a 12 yo, and the single cask editions have usually been 13 or 14 yo.
November 15th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
JC: Yes, I have the older single cask (and cask strength) rum casks expressions too that I got from Binnnys. (The 12 year old I got at Travel Retail is only 40% ABV). I look forward to comparing the two, like you did.
Thanks for offering your thoughts.
November 15th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Hi John. I’m sure you’ll enjoy yourself with both.
I didn’t find that the 40% abv hurt the selected casks vatting. It’s a light whiskey anyway, and makes for a smashing summertime aperitif. I demolished my last bottle (which I believe come in generous litres rather than the more standard 700cl or 750cl) in record time during August. It was just the perfect dram for warm weather when you’re not inclined to close a whiskey off with ice.
The older rum-casked Bush, or at least the one I tried, was to my mind overpowered by the rum a tad. But still an interesting dram.
The two are surprisingly different. A side-by-side analysis should highlight that, and I look forward to reading your considered thoughts on both.
November 15th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
I’ve had the one from a few years ago. It’s a strange one, as sometimes I like it and other times I don’t.