Monday, March 17, 2008

St. Patrick's Day Special: Bushmills

Today, in honor of St. Patrick's Day, I've got notes on a couple of Bushmills offerings. Binny's had all things Bushmills on sale last week, so I figured, why not? Now's the time! :)

Bushmills Malt 10 notes are here.


Bushmills Original
Blended Irish whiskey
40% alc/vol
$16

Smells of white chocolate and toffee, thick and insistent. Sweet and creamy on the palate, with a dry, bittersweet finish. This feels like Bushmills Malt 10, except sweeter and softer. I think that's a good thing. And at this price, it's tough to beat!




Bushmills Black Bush
Blended Irish whiskey
40% alc/vol
$30

The Black Bush is fully aged in Oloroso Sherry casks, and, as you well know, I'm a total sherry freak when it comes to whiskey. You can see the sherry in this dram right off the bat, in its characteristic deep russet color. It's very evident in the nose, as well, sweet and spiritous. Like its non-sherried cousin, it's nice and creamy, but the Black Bush has a bit of cinnamon in its long, dry finish. Like the Original above, I think it's a fairly uncomplicated whiskey -- or is it just my mood? -- but I like it very much, indeed, to the great surprise of no one at all.

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone! And on that note, Guinness is lobbying to make this a national holiday in the U.S. Why not sign the petition to make it happen? The country -- and, indeed, the world -- could use a few more simple, easy-going holidays like this one could be.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Black Bush is very nice - not for everyone, just the sherry freaks in us.

Unknown said...

In my mind, nothing beats the malt 10.