Bushmills 10 Year Old

This is a good drinking malt with a great history but personally I feel that 9 is a little generous on this occasion @OJK.

It depends on how you look at things I guess, there is no doubt that - in it's category - its a nice whiskey.

hi @LeFrog, thanks for your comment, I very much respect your questioning of the high rating, my take on it is that it's the great thing about whisky, that my 9 can be your 7, and vice versa, and no well-made whisky is ever objecitvely better or worse than any other. If we are going to be subjective however, then my personal opinion is that all whiskies must be judegd in their respective categories, so with that in mind I genuinely believe the Bushmills 10 year old to be among the better entry level single malt bottlings to be found anywhere. If I can compare it with one of my other favourite entry level malts that I've reviewed recently, the Macallan 10, if we were rating out of 100 then I would probably rate the Macallan a couple of points higher, however on a rating system out of 10 I've put them both at a 9. In any case, always enjoyable debating the various qualities of different whiskies, I guess that's what we're all here for! Thanks again for the feedback, take care

I quite adore the Irish whiskies I've tried so far (Greenore 8 year-old, Green Spot, Jameson 18 year-old, and Connemara Cask Strength—yum!), but for some reason I've shied away from trying Bushmills or Redbreast. They're so commonplace at bars, including those with bad whisky selections, so I never thought much of them. But your review has made me want to try Bushmills expressions now, @OJK. Thanks for that.

@OJK - true, it is all very subjective and sometimes difficult to compare the many types, qualities, and nuances of whisk(e)y on a single scale.

@dbk - I really like Readbreast, so that is certainly worth a try too

@LeFrog, it's funny that you should mention Redbreast: I bought a bottle of the 12 year-old just the other day!

@OJK, your review has perturbed my feeling about Bushmills 10, which so far, has not brightened my day; I love Black Bush however. And so, I will get out the Bushmills 10, and give it another chance :-)

@dbk & @LeFrog, I have always enjoyed Redbreast ... it's subtle, compared to Scotch & Bourbon, so prepare to switch gears :-)

@AboutChoice: I have read that Bushmills 10 has really upped in quality in recent years, quite drastically so it seems so I don't know if therefore you have an older bottling. I myself have only tried it for the first time this year, so I can't compare myself to previous bottlings, however in its current state I find that's it's quite an underrated gem.

@OJK, I have now spent some quality time with my Bushmills 10, which incidentally, was acquired early in 2010, when I was a novice whisky taster. Now, as an advanced novice, I have gained a much greater respect for it, and I feel it is a very nice drink, and a major cut above the everyday Irish blends.

But do I wonder if you also notice that there appears to be a bit of a sour and bitter aftertaste in the finish ... which does bother me ? Of course our bottles may indeed vary, not to mention our taste receptors.

And so for my particular taste, Bushmills 10, though now quite respectable, scored a 5th place when put up against Jameson 12, Michael Collins Sing Malt, Redbreast and Black Bush. Another episode where the tasting and swapping results with others was more fun than the drinking :-)

@AboutChoice, many thanks for the tasting notes, as you say the swapping of results certainly is as interesting as the tasting itself! I certainly agree with your final comment and would also rate the Bushmills Black Bush, and even more so the Redbreast 12, above the Bushmills 10. I haven't yet had the opportunity to try the Jameson 12 nor the Michael Collins Single Malt, however now that you've put them in that league I'm extremely keen to do so (standard Jameson's is already one of my top go-to drinking blends).

As for the finish on the Bushmills 10, I do see what you mean about the sour/bitter quality, I see it more in what I described as a peppercorn-spice that mixes with the pear and fruit. Perhaps it is like sour apples and sweet apples, they tend to divide opinion! In any case I think the Bushmills 10 is quite a distinct single malt in terms of flavour profile, and thus will naturally divide opinion (which is great as it gives us all the more to debate and discuss!)

Personally, I find the finish to be nice and dry, and not sour or bitter. Maybe not quite the sweetness of the Black Bush. I gave the Black bush a 98, and this one is not far behind! I find this 10 year a tad "rough" compared to the Black Bush, but in a very nice way which makes it perhaps a bit more interesting. I could go on drinking this all night, just like the Black Bush. This is not a lot pricier, so it is a joy to have a choice between the two, If anything, I find the 10 year a bit more Scotch-like than the Black Bush. I also tried the 16 year last weekend, very unique as well with the port finish, but would rate it below the Black Bush and 10 year. Also managed to find a bottle of 400th anniversary, which I have yet to try. All I need now is a bottle of 21 year old to complete my collection! Cheers, Carl