Whiskey Review - Bushmills Irish Whiskey

Today I want to bring your attention to an Irish Whiskey - Bushmills.  Bushmills has several whiskey varieties but specifically for this review we are going to look at Bushmills original.  Bushmills whiskey is made up of grain whiskey that is aged for five years before it is blended with malt whiskey.  In America there is a bar-debate that goes something like, "Bushmills is the 'Protestant whiskey, Jameson is the 'Catholic'."  That originated from the geography of the distilleries in Ireland, but with globalization and corporate ownership, neither whiskey is owned by an Irish company anymore, at this point the argument is more for fun than anything else.

Like the other whiskey that has been reviewed so far, Bushmills is widely available in all parts of the world.  Most establishments offer it by the glass, and it is very common in shops by the bottle.  My Irish friends swear by Bushmills which made it a priority for review.  

The nose of the whiskey can be difficult to ignore, there is a strong alcohol smell, not very inviting.  The first sip of the whiskey can bite back a bit but after that things smooth out.  I drink all of my whiskey "neat", but I know many who choose to cut their Bushmills with ice and/or water, to avoid the bite and to dilute the nose.  In a later post I will address neat vs. ice vs. water.

The taste of Bushmills is best summed up as a bit 'woody', or smoky.  It comes across as a lighter whiskey, it is crisp and not very thick.  A little spicy and not very sweet, but overall it is a decent whiskey (especially after your first glass).  If you are interested in Scotch but new to the scene, sipping Bushmills Irish whiskey is a good way to move in that direction. It can prepare you for some of the Scotch whisky that exists.  That said, this is still a hard "first whiskey".  If you are new to the whiskey scene in general, there are smoother routes you can take.

Score: 2.0 Casks out of a possible 5

Reason: This was nothing remarkable, and can be a little hard to love at first. The nose was difficult to ignore, the strong alcohol scent forced me to steel myself for the first sip which is not how I like to begin.  In addition, the first sip had a bit too much of a bite to it, it was the type where your first reaction is to shiver a bit. I appreciated the smoky flavor, and in its defense it did become easier to drink as the night wore on, but that is true of just about all whiskey.  It was inexpensive and decent, but nothing more. Cost runs about $30-$35 per bottle, and a glass is usually $5-$7.

Sláinte,

Charles

Because Bushmills can be a little rough by itself, try one of these (recipe courtesy of Bushmills):
 Irish Coffee
1.5 oz Bushmills Irish Whiskey

1.5 oz hot coffee
1-2 tsp sugar
Slightly whipped double cream
Pour coffee into a warmed glass mug, add sugar to taste and stir to dissolve. Add Bushmills then top with whipped cream, poured gently over the back of a spoon.