smooth Irish single malt (Bushmills 10 Year Old Whiskey)

Member Name: mjc121

Product:	Bushmills 10 Year Old Whiskey
Date:	30/07/09 (139 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: good taste, not smokey

Disadvantages: price

Bushmills is a brand of Irish whiskey and it is produced in County Antrim

Whiskey or Whisky?

Well this depends on where it comes from. Scotch is spelt Whisky and Irish is spelt Whiskey. As this spirit did originate in Ireland (it was a group of Irish Monks who taught the Scottish how to make it) I tend to use the Irish spelling unless I am specifically referring to Scotch.


So what is the difference?

There are two main differences in how they are made:

1. The fuel used for the fire to dry the grain - Scotch distilleries tend to use peat which is a very smoky fuel as it burns as the fuel and Irish distilleries uses anthracite. Anthracite is virtually smokeless and this is why Irish whiskey does not have the smoky taste which Scotch whisky is known for.

2. Scotch is only distilled twice where as Irish is distilled three times. This extra distillation adds an extra smoothness to the whiskey.

I personally tend to prefer Irish whiskey as I don't like the smoky flavour of Scotch.

Anyway with that out of the way back to this product.

Bushmills use 100% malted barley for this whiskey, I'm not going to go into all the ins and outs of the production of the whiskey as it would take too long to write and to read.

As is typical of all whiskies the distillation takes place in copper stills and one thing which surprises most is that the spirit is colourless after it has been through the triple distillation process. It is the maturing in the barrels which gives the whiskey its colour and some of its flavour. Ever wondered why the price goes up the longer it matures? Simple as it sits in the barrels the wood absorbs some of the whiskey. The longer it sits in the barrels the more the wood absorbs hence the less there is to sell so you pay a higher price. Although longer matured whiskies also tastes better.

This 10 year old whiskey is a single malt whiskey hence it is not a blend. It is matured for at least 10 years in Bourbon seasoned barrels produced from two different woods.

Taste/smell

The whiskey has a fresh slight vanillary aroma with perhaps just a hint of honey and nuttiness. It is a pale golden colour and the taste of the whiskey is smooth and crisp with flavours of vanilla with a mix of oakiness and slightly nutty, I'm thinking hazelnuts more than any other. The finish is clean but with no particular flavour strongly lingering. Unlike some cheaper blended well known brands this does not have an odd after taste (god this makes me sound like a drunk - I'm not - honest) if anything the after taste I get is that of the nuttiness.

For me this is one of the better Irish Whiskies I have tried and it should not be insulted by using it in a cocktail or, god forbid, by adding it to any cola. As this would destroy the complex individual flavours of the whiskey.


This is a whiskey for either drinking neat, on the rocks or a splash of soda. I do mean a splash - you don't want to drown it. The soda does help some of the more complex flavours of the oak and nuttiness to come out.

This is not the cheapest whiskey I bought mine whilst on holiday in Cork for Euro 34.50 which at that time of currency exchange was about £24.15. I have only seen it on sale here in specialist shops and online for around the same price. It is sold in 700 ml bottles (which have a 'cork' stopper rather than a screw cap) and is 40% ABV

Summary: an excellent aged whiskey from Ireland