Review #: 1
Description: Bushmills Irish Whiskey
Spirit: Irish Whiskey
Background: I figure to start my reviews where I started drinking, and that would be with Irish Whiskey. Bushmills Distillery lays claim to being the oldest, active distillery, being given a grant to distill in 1608. Nestled along the River Bush on the coast of Northern Ireland, Bushmills produces a fairly wide range of products, though only a handful make it to the states. This is their standard bottling.
Distillery – Bushmills
Bottler – Bushmills
Brand – Bushmills
Selection – N/A
ABV – 40%
Age – NAS
Nose – Granny smith apple, fresh dew, wet bark, light and crisp floral notes
Taste – Sweet citrus, little bit of caramel, quite light
Finish – Very clean and light, little bit of oak and earthiness after swallowing followed by a light warming heat
Score: 4
Would I buy a bottle? Possibly for a party or to share with someone who wants to start getting into whiskey.
Thoughts: I want to note with my first reviews, my palate and abilities will only grow from here. I purposely tried to start with things I already had exposure to but also are not super complex so I can really try to break them down. I probably have a bit of bias towards Bushmills as I lived in Northern Ireland and my wife is from there. We went on the distillery tour about a month into our relationship. Irish Whiskey was pretty much what got me into whiskey since I do find it to be very smooth, light and refreshing. As I have tried more and more and different styles of whiskeys, I was surprised at how enjoyable this was coming back to it. It smells to me like a wet Irish morning (minus the livestock) and had a light, fruity sweetness with a very smooth finish. Not much complexity though not harsh, it’s a perfectly average whisky. It’s fine neat, but wouldn’t feel bad mixing.