Bushmills has the oldest distillery licence in the world, dating back to 1608. Its distillery is based in a town of the same name in County Antrim, Northern Ireland not far for the famous Giant’s Causeway. This licence was granted by King James I and the distillery has just celebrated it’s 400th anniversary. King James I loved Bushmills’ whisky so much that he had it imported from Ireland and even sold some of his own land to fund part of the distillery expansion. In addition to being the oldest distillery in Ireland and one of the oldest in the world, Bushmills also has the longest continually used logo. In 1784, the pot still logo was introduced in order to celebrate the formal registering of the distillery and this is still in use today, almost 225 years later.
Their whiskies are all triple distilled in the traditional Irish way and the core range is a mixture of single malts and blends – this ‘Original’ and ‘Black Bush’ both blends, aged single malts 10-, 14-, 16- and 21 years old and extra aged 25 and 30 years old . These are supplemented by a number of cask finishes and special limited releases that are part of the Causeway Collection. The ownership of Bushmills has changed hands in recent years moving from Pernod Ricard to Diageo and then on to Proximo in 2014. The distillery itself expanded in 2023 when a new distillery named ‘Causeway Distillery’ opened next door to Bushmills original distillery.
Our Tasting Notes
This whisky is a blend of single malt and Irish grain whisky and has no stated age, suggesting that some young whisky has been used. The nose is quite fresh and crisp with a herbal note (think of freshly cut grass) and some fruitiness (imagine fresh green apples and ripe peaches). A whiff of raw, young spirit gives the nose a slightly unpleasant metallic edge. This translates on to the palate, with other flavours fighting against it. This whisky has lots of cereal/ grainy based sweetness and vanilla, with a lovely fruity quality (reminding me of peaches or apricots). The finish is short and dry with just a hint of nuts and woody spice (think of nutmeg).
What’s The Verdict?
The Original should cost around £15-20 per bottle and is good value. There is some young spirit present that gives the whisky that metallic edge but otherwise it is light, crisp, simple and pretty good. It is refreshing and would be a good one to introduce someone to whisky with.
