Bushmills 23 Year Old Crystal Malt
Irish Single Malt Whiskey
Flaviar’s Bushmills “Rare Cask Series” Tasting Box
Sample ‘C’
50% ABV
We would like to thank Flaviar and Bushmills for the opportunity to try these rare whiskies!
NOTE: The samples were provided as part of a lottery through my personal Flaviar membership, and not provided directly for purposes of a review.
Wait – What is This?
In the summer/fall of 2020, Flaviar offered an opportunity to members to enter a lottery, the winners of which would have the opportunity to sample some rare Bushmills and vote on what would be the next ‘Rare Cask’. I was fortunate enough to be picked to participate, and received a 5 sample kit from Flaviar which included:
- Bushmills 10 yr Single Malt
- Bushmills 16 yr Single Malt
- Sample A (Bushmills 28 Year Old PX Sherry Cask, 1992)
- Sample B (Bushmills 25 Year Old Marsala Cask, 1995)
- Sample C (Bushmills 23 Year Old Crystal Malt, 1997)
Flaviar stated that they would announce the winner with Bushmills. If that happened, I missed it (and as of Feburary 2022, Bushmill’s website only lists the initial Rare Cask release – although I saw some stores that had labels for ‘Rare Case 02’, so not sure if they released it quietly, or if they planned to but then changed course, or what happened). Regardless, I was waiting for such an announcement before posting these reviews – but as that may never happen – here they are!
The details below were compiled from what was provided by Flaviar with the samples, and the NightCap Live streaming event they hosted – which included the Bushmills brand ambassador Jack Ferris who provided additional details about the whiskies.
23 yr old Crystal Malt; allegedly this is one of Helen Mulholland’s (Bushmill’s Master Blender) favorites. They distilled this back in 1997 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Bushmills in 2008 – a one-time production run. But, they didn’t use all of the whiskey, and left a bit to age longer. Crystal malt is unusual for whiskey (usually used in beer), and is made by taking barley with a high moisture content and putting it through a deep roast which crystallizes the grain and enhances the natural sugars. This was aged in a first fill bourbon barrel.
What Gary Says
Nose: Light, cotton candy, fresh cut apples, pears, hint of lavender and rose petals.
Palate: Sweet with butterscotch, brown sugar, honey, chocolate, chili spice notes and baked apples.
Finish: Moderately long and drying with honey and spice.
Comments: If I was given this blind to nose, I might have guessed it was a single grain whisky – it has that gentle, delicateness I associate with that style. On the palate it had a spicy bite that was a (pleasant) surprise! Of the 3 samples in the running for the next Bushmills Rare Cask, I found this much more mild and nuanced – although because of that it was my least favorite. Having said that, nothing at all objectionable and I’d certainly not turn away a pour if offered!