Review by: Raygun

A single malt from Bushmills, a vatting of bourbon and sherry casks  finished in acacia for over a year. Initially released in 2018 but still available from their online shop. Reviewed from a sample. Rested for 10 minutes.

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Distillery: Bushmills

Bottler: Bushmills

Region/style: Irish single malt 

ABV: 47%

Age: Not stated but about 10 years. Distilled in 2008, bottled in 2018. 

Cask type: Initially bourbon and sherry, then finished in acacia casks.

Color: 1.4 tawny. Says non-chill-filtered but nothing about natural color, so I’m assuming color is added.

Price: £75 from the Bushmills shop

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Nose: Nicely malty with a fruity touch. Caramel apples and pears. There’s an interesting herbal note that reminds me of rye. Sour orange.     

Palate: Honey, digestive biscuits, caramel apples, and pears. Get more sherry influence here, with some chocolate, orange, and figs. Once again, an interesting rye-like herbal/spicy flavor. Caraway seed is very close and a dash of white pepper. Caramel intensifies with a few drops of water, and it takes on some breakfast tea. 

Finish: Weaker here. Digestive biscuits, honey, orange, caramel. The wood flavor turns up a notch. The spice aspect is less noticeable, but I do still get white pepper. Not as varied as the palate. Water ups the intensity here, too, resulting in more caramel and wood.     

Conclusion: I’ve had one other acacia cask that I can recall, from Teeling. I can’t say what’s attributable to the acacia influence, but maybe it accounts for the spice character. It’s pleasant. Surprised by how it developed with a few drops of water; made a noticeable difference for the better. Makes a nice fall dram. I suspect it would make a pretty killer highball, too. 

Buy a bottle? Not something I’d make a big effort for.   

Score: 76

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Kavalan Solist Manzanilla)
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique)
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Green Spot Chateau Leoville Barton)
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Amrut Peated CS)
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Taketsuru Pure Malt)
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Hakushu Distiller’s Reserve)
• 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Bushmills 10 Malt)
• 0-49: Blech.