Bushmills Malt 21 Year Old Madeira Finish

Being too old is the risk you should take if you don’t want to die young. Sipped twice – before and after a funeral. No water added.

Color – Gold. honey. Earth.

Nose – Fruits cake, still hot from the oven. Dried fruits – raisins, figs, apricots. Toffee. A piece of wet cloth that’s been left for too long. Rotten fruits. Vinous is the exact word for that, I guess.

Taste – Heavily sweet, yet a very soft palate. Dates and sour apricots. The raisins are still there but the is something fresh; fresh and juicy grapes. Yet again, the vinous cloud shadows the flowery and colorful nectar. I cannot say it isn’t pleasant, for there is always something appealing, and stimulating, in the dark essence of death– taking the shape of decomposition. This cloud, I now see it clearly, is what makes this nectar so irritating.

End – Soft and long. Muscat odors accompany this sweet farewell.

Older whiskeys might taste too ‘mature’, or ‘over the top’, and I am afraid this one has taken this path. Like some people do, some whiskies are just like that. I guess it is a function of storage conditions, or life style, or all other things that can happen from the second it is bottled and until it’s spilled on the ground. Bottom line - a fine nectar, preferably tasted before and not after funerals.

Irish whiskey, with a ‘E’ of course. Matured in Oloroso Sherry and Bourbon casks, before a two year marrying period in Madeira casks. Bottle no: 05938/2014.

The Madeira finish is spot on! It works really well for Bushmills. The 16 yo has a Port finish, for me that isn’t working at all. Ok, back tot he 21 yo. The price of this one is € 85,- really a bargain for this quality!

Deep amber color. Taste: richly flavored, toffee, chocolate, BBQ-raisins (really it’s in there), dates, white grapes, honeyed barley, oak, vanilla. Finish: dry, lingering notes of oak and BBQ-raisins. It keeps coming back. A complex whiskey and very well balanced.

At first I was dissapointed bij the 40% ABV, but I can imagine now that a 43% ABV could ruin the balance in the whiskey and spoil the delicate flavours. I’ll give the distillers the beneffit of the doubt that 40% ABV was only to enhance the tasting experiance, not the profits :)

Big big compliments to Bushmills fort his stunner, this is the Emperor of Ireland and a benchmark for all other whiskey’s. It’s a proud bottle standing out in my cabinet full of Scotsman. I've got two stashed away to enjoy for the years to come.

This is the tasting notes from Master of Malt:

Nose: Rich toffee, honey, spiced fruit notes and dark mocha.

Palate: Chewy, dates, pecans, grapes and mango.

Finish: Sweet, syrupy pipe tobacco and mint.

I think this description is quite ok, so I will only add my personal thoughts on this. To be honest it was a long time since I had such a whisky moment! This whisky is near to perfect. The nose is exciting and you keep Finding new notes and when it comes to the palate it is just wonderful!! I have given it a full 25 points for the palate, and that really shows how good I find this whisky. It is bottled at 40% but still has so much to give. If you find a bottle I recommend you to buy it. I just ordered two more to save for the future....

No, there's no chocolate notes here, but the feel of a candy factory is very much present. This Irish whiskey is so full of fruit candy notes, it's almost like a fantasy. Like being in Willy Wonka's place. If this dram was music, it would be Roy Orbison’s Candy Man.

It was part of our local Irish whiskey tasting and won (Redbreast 15yo came close second). I scored it 95 points first but ended up making the score even one point bigger. And notice the taste, full 25 points. Not often a dram gets full points in taste by me.

This is a heavenly whiskey, the price tag is too but what can you say...it is a 21 year old great whiskey. Unlike with a mystery NAS, with this one, the price is more justified.

Nose: Starts with rubber and musty oak notes. Cereal notes are strong, like aromas from a crisp bread or some fresh hard (Finnish) rye bread. Bit fruity with some nice dark, roasted coffee buried deep on the back. Time and water add sweetness, hints of sugary marzipan and a spicy sherry twist.

Taste: Pure greatness – fruit candy with little hints of that sweet marzipan again (fortunately not overly sweet marzipan). Fresh peppermint drops develop over time. Water adds some creamy toffee and caramel notes. Surprisingly water makes it even better in every step, even though the ABV is "only" 40%.

Finish: Very smooth with nice small bitter notes. The oil feel is like velvet, cactus and grape notes rise up with some time in the glass and water. Tobacco is in the aftertaste too.

Balance: Great, amazing, rich – the best Irish whiskey I've ever had. In great balance, very versatile.

Bushmills prominently puts 1608, the date in which it received its license to distil, on its bottles. That is not entirely accurate, though. Bushmills was formerly registered as a distillery in 1794, almost 200 years later. It is true, however, that one of the first licenses was granted in 1608 to Thomas Philips (sometimes Phillipps) in County Antrim, where the distillery can be found. So it is nothing more than a marketing stunt. Their range showpiece is this 21 Year Old Bushmills, a vatting of bourbon and oloroso casks that, after at least 19 years of maturation, were re-casked into Madeira casks for a two year finish. The results is fabulous.

The nose is very soft and succulent. The influence of the Madeira is immediately obvious. Toffee, apricots, raspberries, creamy yoghurt, dried fruits and soft spices. Wonderful.

It is silky soft and juicy on the palate. Very sweet on apricots, cherries, but also dark touches of raisins, roasted almonds and marzipan.

The finish dies slowly, like a hearth that does not get stirred up anymore.

Rightfully considered the showpiece of Bushmills, for this is a wonderful whiskey to enjoy for hours on end. It leaves the rest of the range far behind. Pity that it has such a hefty price tag (around 140 EUR).

Happy St Patrick’s Day!

Bushmills 21 yo malt whiskey is aged in a combination of bourbon, oloroso sherry, and Madeira casks. The reviewed bottle is labeled Year 2011, # 4008.

Nose: wave after wave of subtle, magnificent, delicious wine and malt-related flavours. Smooth, silky, and refined. Flavourfulness and subtlety ebb and flow as you take each breath. Nothing in the way of a wine-finish nose could be improved upon here. This is already perfect. I could nose this for a week.

Palate: every beautiful element from the nose translates nicely onto the palate. This is slightly sweeter on the palate than in the nose. Delicious.

Finish: a nice gentle fade away like the embers of a fire dying. The whiskey keeps it virtues intact until the end.

Balance: Bushmills 21 yo demonstrates excellent balance, great complexity, and amazing refinement. This has immediately climbed onto my favourites list. I highly recommend Bushmills 21 to anyone who likes wine finishes and excellent noses.

This reinvented by perception of Irish whiskey. Jameson was ok, Redbreast was a lot better--and quite unique--but this stuff...wow.

The nose starts off with a vast array of mouthwatering scents; the wine casks, grain, raisins, and candied fruit. After it opens a little, old wood and brown sugar are detected.

Sherry seems to be the first thing I notice on the palate, followed by fresh fruit; banana and cantaloupe. A little bitterness comes after followed by seaweed on the finish.

I have yet to try the 16 Year and the 1608, but if this remains the best, I think I found my Irish whiskey staple (I'll just have to trick my wallet whenever I need more).