This whiskey is the latest new addition to the permanent core range of the Northern Irish distillery of Bushmills. The initial 14-year maturation of their signature triple distilled single malt has taken place in first fill and re-fill ex-bourbon barrels, before a luxurious 12-month finish in French oak ex-Cognac casks sourced from the famous Cognac region of France. It has been created by Alex Thomas, the Master Blender at Bushmills.
The Bushmills 36 years old Hill Street Edition is the oldest single malt whiskey to ever be released in Europe by the famous Bushmills distillery. It has been bottled exclusively for The Friend at Hand, the award-winning whiskey shop and museum in Belfast, which is owned by Irish whiskey legend Willie Jack. The shop is located on Hill Street in the Cathedral Quarter, which was the former home of bonded warehouses that stored and matured Bushmills whiskey. The whiskey will only be available to purchase from The Friend at Hand.
Now the inaugural Remixed bottling has been launched to join it - the Jameson Caribbean Beats 21 years old. This unique expression of Jameson has been fully matured in ex-rum casks for 21 years - the first 18 years were in American oak ex-FourSquare rum barrels from Barbados, followed by a three year finishing period in ex-Havana Club Selección de Maestros rum casks from Cuba.
These two premium whiskeys will permanently sit at the top of the core range of Bushmills. The Bushmills 25 years old and 30 years old are both triple distilled single malts. The 25 years old (pictured, above left) has experienced a four year initial maturation in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks before a 21 year secondary maturation in ex-Port pipes. It is bottled at 46% ABV and is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour. The whiskey will be available worldwide and retail for US$900/ £790/ €850.
This new whiskey represents the latest expansion of the Causeway Collection by the Northern Irish single malt distillery of Bushmills. The Bushmills 1997 Rum Cask is the first whiskey in the series to be created by Alex Thomas, the new Master Blender for Bushmills. The collection pays homage to some of the more unorthodox casks that are maturing within the distillery's warehouses. The spirit was filled to American oak ex-Caribbean rum barrels in February 1997 and has undergone a full 25-year maturation in them. This is very rare as ex-rum casks are often only used for finishing of short periods from six months to two years. The Causeway Collection was launched in 2020.
This new whiskey from Irish Distillers is a special bottling to commemorate the 135th anniversary of partners Mitchell & Son entering the whisky bonding business. The iconic Irish wine and spirits merchant has worked alongside the company on their Spot single pot still range, where they traditionally matured whiskeys in vaults under the streets of Dublin. The Gold Spot has been aged for a minimum of nine years. It features an intriguing marriage of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks with ex-Bordeaux red wine barrels and ex-Port pipes. The Gold Spot 9 years old is released at 51.4% ABV (102.8 Proof) in a historical hat tip to whiskies from Mitchell's archive.
This whiskey is the first in a new series created by Jameson, the world's biggest selling Irish whiskey brand. The Jameson Anthology series will see new whiskeys put down one of two tracks - Remastered will be old classic expressions reinvented, while Remixed will have a more innovative and experimental edge. The first bottling sits within Remastered - the Jameson 15 years old Single Pot Still. This was an expression that last appeared in Jameson's range in 2000. The whiskey is constructed of three different pot still styles, all made at Midleton distillery in Co. Cork, that have been matured for between 15 and 17 years in either first-fill ex-bourbon barrels or first-fill ex-Oloroso sherry butts.
This whiskey is a limited edition higher strength version of the popular Black Barrel expression from Jameson. The Jameson Black Barrel Proof is bottled at 50% ABV (100 Proof in old money) and has been created to show extra depth and richness. The whiskey is a combination of triple distilled pot still and grain whiskeys, and these have been matured in three types of cask - American oak, ex-sherry and double-charred ex-bourbon barrels. It is also non chill-filtered. The Jameson Black Barrel Proof will only be available in selected retailers in Ireland, including at Dublin airport, and will cost €60 a bottle. However, the exact number of bottles in the limited release has not been revealed.
There are two more Allotment Drams, the series of short videos where we sit and review whiskies at our north London allotment, for you. And they are two slightly different ones too. Firstly, Matt takes a look at a new Mexican whisky called Abasolo, which is made from 100% Mexican heritage corn varieties and uses ancient techniques during the whisky making process. Watch to discover more about the groundbreaking distillery where it is produced and then Matt's thoughts and tasting notes.
Then he is back on a hot September afternoon and is back in Ireland for his next choice - The Whistler Marsala Cask from their small batch single grain range of whiskeys. Find out more about the brand and the Boann distillery that it is associated with and then discover Matt's thoughts and tasting notes.
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We have two more episodes from our Allotment Dram review series for you. This is where we sit and talk about different whiskies in the surroundings of our allotment plot in north London.
First, Matt takes a look at the Bladnoch Vinaya. This is a new addition to the core range of single malts from the Lowland distillery. Watch to discover more about the distillery and brand, and how it has come through a different recent past, before hearing Matt's thoughts and tasting notes.
Then on his next visit he goes Irish in the form of Grace O'Malley, a blended whiskey that has just been launched in the UK. Watch to find out the inspiration behind the brand and details of the bottling, before Matt gives his thoughts and tasting notes.
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Grace O'Malley is an blended Irish whiskey that has recently been introduced to the UK market. This follows successful launches in Ireland and the USA. The whiskey is named after Grace O'Malley, a legendary Pirate Queen from Ireland in the 16th century. The blend contains whiskeys with age statements ranging from three to ten years old. There is a relatively high percentage of single malt included (both double and triple distilled malt, and 46% of the recipe), along with single grain and pot still whiskeys. These have been matured in ex-bourbon and ex-rum casks plus some French Oak barrels, before being blended together by Paul Caris the Master Blender. It joins the Dark Char Cask and Rum Cask, plus a gin in the Grace O'Malley range.
This whiskey is a limited edition one-off bottling by the Irish single pot still brand of Redbreast. It has been released to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Irish Distillers resurrecting Redbreast back in 1991. The Redbreast 10 years old features three different pot still whiskeys distilled at the Midleton distillery in Co.Cork and they have been matured in ex-Oloroso sherry casks for between 10 and 15 years. It has been created by Billy Leighton, the Master Blender for Redbreast, and Blender Dave McCabe. The packaging features a retro design that draws inspiration from when the 10 years old was last on the market in the 1950s and 60s.
We have two more episodes from our Allotment Dram series of video reviews for you. The weather has warmed up and Matt is back at the plot with a new offering from the Australian whisky brand of Starward - the Starward Left-Field. This is an Australian single malt that has been matured in three different types of Australian red wine barrels sourced from the Barossa and Yarra Valley wine regions. Watch as he talks about this European exclusive.
Then on his next visit, he looks at another brand new whiskey. This time it is from Ireland and comes in the form of the 2021 edition of the legendary Midleton Very Rare. This is the first to be released under a new Master Blender, so watch to find out more about this super premium Irish whiskey and then discover his thoughts and tasting notes.
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