The 21-year-old Bushmills is the oldest whiskey in the standard distillery range. It is a remarkably fresh and lively tasting malt, given its advanced years. Like the rest of the single malts from Bushmills, this is initially aged in both bourbon and sherry casks. These are then vatted together and married into madeira wine casks for two years. We would go as far to say that this is, thankfully, quite a subtle wood finish. The Bushmills malt is very delicate and elegant and this strikes a nice balance of fruit, spice and sweetness. Bushmills Distillery, located in Northern Ireland can trace its roots back to 1608 when the area was given a special license to distil by King James I. The current distillery dates from 1784, although it may have operated illegally before that. Bushmills has had numerous owners over the years with Proximo Spirits, the owners of Jose Cuervo Tequila, now holding the keys to this famous whiskey brand. 2023 saw the biggest change in decades with the construction of the new ‘Causeway Distillery’ still house. This will double the production and all the spirit made will be used for the Bushmills brands. There have been many great and memorable whiskeys released over the years and the recent Causeway Collection bottlings have reminded us of the potential the distillery has to make exceptional whiskey.