Bushmills Single Malt Irish Whiskey Aged 10 Years

/ / Irish Whiskey, Review / ,

Bushmills 10 Year
Single Malt Irish Whiskey

Matured in Two Woods

40% ABV/80 Proof
$40 to $50
Website

What the Distillery Says:
Triple distilled from 100% malted barely and matured for a minimum of 10 years mainly in Bourbon-seasoned barrels, it has aromas of honey, vanilla and milk chocolate.

Nose: Fresh and zesty. Honey, ripe fruit.
Palate: Soft. Vanilla, milk chocolate and toasted wood.
Finish: Crisp and clean, gentle drying.

What Richard Says

Nose: This one is light and floral. There is also an odd mix of grass and cocoa. It’s a little like splashing Hershey’s cocoa powder on your face while cutting the lawn.
Palate: It’s kind of light and spicy with a backing sherry note. There is also something that tastes slightly burnt.
Finish: Delicate, smooth, and slightly creamy with a little oak at the end.
Comments: This is one of those whiskeys where I think it’s me not them. I know Bushmills didn’t change. I changed. I used to like this one a lot more than I do now. It’s not bad. It’s easily drinkable and not terribly expensive if you can find it around $40. I’ve just come to expect a little more from my whiskey than this one brings to table.

Rating: Average

 

What Gary Says

Nose:  Subtle, floral with honey suckle, milk chocolate, a hint of apples.
Palate:  Subtle sweet with malt, honey, vanilla, a hint of fruit.
Finish:  Moderate in length, damp with honey and vanilla.
Comments:  A very gentle and delicate single malt. Nothing objectionable, but nothing that has me wanting to pour another. I’ll bet I’d like this a lot more at a higher ABV, but wishes and nuts as they say.

Rating: Average/Stands Out

Bushmills Single Malt Irish Whiskey Aged 10 Years Read More »

Bushmills Irish Whiskey 1608 Anniversary Edition

/ / Irish Whiskey, Review /

Bushmills Irish Whiskey 1608 Anniversary Edition
46% ABV/92 Proof
$75 to $100
Website

What the Distillery Says:
In celebration of the 400th anniversary of the original licence to distil granted to the Bushmills area, the Bushmills Distillery has released a special, limited edition whiskey, Bushmills 1608.

True to the history of Ireland’s oldest working whiskey distillery, Bushmills 1608 is a unique blend of tradition and innovation. It combines some classic features of our whiskeys (such as triple distillation, the use of fully malted barley or maturation in the finest quality oak casks) with a pioneering process: it was distilled using crystal malt, a special type of malted barley selected to deliver exceptional smoothness.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Honey, fresh cut grass, dry autumn leaves, sherry notes, and smores (chocolate marshmellow graham cracker sandwiches for our non-U.S. readers)
Palate: It’s very nutty and I also get notes of very high cacao dark chocolate. It’s like an 85% cacao Mr. Goodbar.
Finish: Cracked black pepper and an almost rye-like spicy note. The finish is rather long with lots of oak and chalk. Meh.
Comments: The palate on this one perplexes me. I like what the crystal malt and higher proof do to the viscosity and mouth feel of Bushmills but I’m just not sold on the taste. Combine that with the so so finish and I’m not a big a fan. It is different and tasty in it’s own way but there are other Bushmills expressions out there that are better for the same or less money. I can’t say this is one you have to try.
Rating: Stands Out

Bushmills Irish Whiskey 1608 Anniversary Edition Read More »

Redbreast 12 Year Old Cask Strength

/ / Irish Whiskey, Review /

Redbreast 12 Year Old Cask Strength
Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey

57.7% ABV
$65
Website
Redbreast 12yr Cask Strength
We would like to thank Marina Maher Communications for sending us a sample to review.

What the Producer Says

Redbreast 12 Cask Strength is a pure representation of Redbreast 12 Year Old before water is added and the whiskey is non-chill filtered. Its aroma is an explosion of fruit – figs, dates, ripe bananas, sultana, red apple and lime – combined with sweet vanilla and pine from the casks. In the mouth, Redbreast 12 Cask Strength offers the flavor of dried fruit along with a touch of citrus, aromatic oils and spices. The finish is exceedingly long and richly complex with fruit and spice slowly fading through sweet butterscotch to barley.

What Richard Says

Nose: Fig newtons, bananas foster, and candied caramel apples right out of the bottle. In the glass vanilla and fresh cut wood come out but the alcohol is a little overpowering.
Palate: Oily and spicy in the mouth with a little lime zest. With water is gets a little sweeter, even more so than the regular Redbreast 12 Year Old.
Finish: Spicy and grainy initially. As you would expect from cask strength whiskey it’s pretty hot on the finish. With water the finish is a lovely interplay of peppery spice, buttery sweetness, and a touch of wood.
Comments: I was skeptical. I admit it. I’m not one of those guys riding the cask strength wave in all things whiskey. I enjoy a lot of bourbons at higher proofs but when it comes to scotch and especially Irish whiskey I tend find it too delicate to get much from the higher proof beyond more alcohol for your coin. If it’s possible this dram has changed my religion. This is a richer, fuller, more fragrant and tasty representation of Redbreast. When I tried the 15 Year Old I mistook some of my displeasure for the additional proof rather than it just not being as good as the 12 Year Old. This is an amazing Irish whiskey that everyone should experience.

Rating: Must Buy

Redbreast 12 Year Old Cask Strength Read More »

March Reviews and Other News

/ / Richard's Blog

March is here again.  As is tradition, we focus on Irish whiskey reviews in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day.  First on tap is the new Redbreast Cask Strength on Friday.  We’ll also bring you reviews of Bushmills and Midleton’s whiskeys throughout the month.

Also, if you haven’t noticed we’ve also added some new content to the homepage.  Under “Whiskey Resources” you can now find a list of helpful links including a centralized location for discounts offered to our readers .  We’ve also added a store for Whiskey Apostle Gear if you’re interested.  There are just a few things (t-shirts, iPhone cases, mugs, etc.) out there now but we will continually add more as time goes on.

Lastly, if you’re not a Twitter follower you might want to start. Our tweets have been sporadic at best in the past but that is picking up.  If you’re in the Metro Atlanta area I often tweet when I come across hard to find drams or deals on various whiskeys in and around town.

Drink wisely my friends,

Richard

March Reviews and Other News Read More »

New U.S. Releases – February 2012

/ / Bourbon, Other Spirits

Did you hear that? That was the sound of a pin dropping. That’s how quiet it was for new releases in February. We did hear about a couple but they barely sneaked under the wire before month end.

Old Bushmills Honey
Timeframe – TBD
ABV – TBD
Price – TBD
This is a new Bushmills based honey liqueur designed exclusively for the U.S. market. I first heard rumblings from Chuck Cowdery over on Straightbourbon and additional details are scarce at the moment.

Temperance Trader Bourbon
Timeframe – March 2012
ABV – 43%
Price – $29.95
This release is another high rye bourbon sourced and bottled by a craft distiller. Bull Run Distilling Company out of Portland, Oregon is the aforementioned distiller bottling this one. Initial distribution is only Oregon, Illinois, and Tennessee at the moment.

And that’s all folks! Maybe March will hold more whiskey goodness for us.

Drink wisely my friends,

Richard

New U.S. Releases – February 2012 Read More »