Old Bushmills 9 Year Old Bottled 1970's

Bushmills 10 Year Old

Nose, Taste, Finish and Balance are graded out of 2.5 each: Nose: An open fruit basket from the off, with a sprinkle of roses on top just for good measure. A few strands of liquorice can be found woven in between the pears, grapes, peaches and bananas, all of which are giving off an intense aroma as they ferment in the sun. Some honey is drizzled...

Score 90/100

Bushmills 10 Year Old

Pale amber, light in viscosity, This Irish whiskey is very light and mellow. Maybe too mellow for someone who is used to drinking scotch. The mouth feel is thin. The predominant flavors are vanilla, malt with cereals like corn flakes and oats in the background. Subtle lemon with slight herbal notes. Finishes with a short, subtle white pepper...

Score 85/100

Bushmills Black Bush Mini (older bottling at 43%)

Now let's look at the 43% Black Bush mini, which is also older but (and I'm guessing here) a little more recent than the 40% mini I just reviewed. The colour is a medium gold (perhaps a shade darker than the 40% mini I just reviewed, but not as dark as today's version). Rather fruity on the nose with underripe bananas, papaya, rum raisin and milk...

Score 81/100

Bushmills 1608 400th Anniversary

According to history (or is it legend), the first ever official sanction to distil aqua vitae was given to Sir Thomas Philips in 1608 by King James I of England. To celebrate this event's 400th Anniversary, Bushmills released this expression in 2008. This is not a single malt, but a fine blend of well aged grain whiskey and crystal malt (according...

Score 90/100