Review by: Raygun

The Causeway Collection is a series of country-exclusive releases finished in different casks. They seem to be cask strength, at least this one is. Ireland had a couple of releases, this one and an older vermouth cask. Pomerol is a region in Bordeaux that produces mainly Merlot-based reds. Red wine casks often overpower unpeated distillate in my opinion; not something that typically works very well. Reviewed from a sample. Rested for 10 minutes.

---

Distillery: Bushmills 

Bottler: Bushmills 

Region/style: Irish single malt whiskey 

ABV: 54.2%. Cask strength. 

Age: 9-10 years. Distilled on April 3, 2012, bottled in 2022. 

Cask type: Finished in Pomerol wine casks for about four years

Color: 1.6 mahogany. Non-chill-filtered.

---

Nose: Very rich and kind of dessert-like. Heavy on the berries, honey, and maple syrup. Some kind of cake. Pretty woody for the age, with good depth.        

Palate: Palate can’t quite keep. It’s rich, but somehow feels a little thin at the same time. This is not a subtle pour by any means. Berries in mulled red wine, with cinnamon, some clove, and a little orange peel. The wine influence is very dominant. 

Finish: Some caramel comes out here, and more cake. Still lots of berries and that spicy mulled red wine. Nicely juicy, though it threatens to become jammy. Again very wine-driven.   

---

Conclusion: The finish takes over, as I thought it might. Even a red wine finish of a year or two can dominate, much less four years. If that’s what you’re looking for, then this will fit the bill very nicely. I like things less cask-dominant these days. It’s still pretty good, but not exactly my thing now.

Score: 77

---

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.