Bushmills 21 and 15 Year Old Travel Retail Releases

Well, despite the grey clouds, the wind, and the persistent drizzle, it is apparently now officially summer here in the UK. That can mean only one thing – time to hop onto a plane and jet off somewhere where the sun actually comes out for longer than a day.

Okay, I jest, the UK weather isn’t that bad, but if you are heading abroad, one of the best things about travelling is browsing the duty-free sections. Travelling, especially by air, sucks, but the most redeeming aspect of travelling is the huge selection of unique tipples made exclusively for the travel retail sector.

Bushmills for example, recently unveiled both a 21 and a 15-year-old travel retail whisky release. Made available exclusively at travel retail stores, I.E airports, duty-free booze stores on international borders etc, these rare and exclusive releases from Bushmills aren’t your typical run-of-the-mill whiskies you’d find on the Highstreet.

Here’s a quick GreatDrams.com review of these two exceptional drops.

Bushmills 15 Year Old Bourbon Finish Single Malt

Bushmills is one of the world’s leading Irish whiskey manufacturers. The Old Bushmills Distillery is also reportedly the oldest distillery in the world.Granted a royal licence to distil whiskey back in 1608, the distillery was officially built in 1784 before being rebuilt in 1885 following a devastating fire.

Now owned by Proximo Spirits, it is a popular tourist attraction responsible for producing Bushmills Irish whiskey.

Their 15 Year Old Bourbon Finish Single Malt is an intriguing release. Made via a combination of 15-year-old ex-bourbon first fill and 15-year-old second fill ex-bourbon American oak casks, this is a whiskey that bourbon and single malt lovers alike, will absolutely adore.

Considering the bourbon influence here, the whiskey isn’t as dark as you might expect. It’s a light amber colour, not too dissimilar from maple syrup. At 46% ABV, it’ll certainly warm your throat as it goes down, without burning your tastebuds.

On the nose, the sweet oaky and maple syrup bourbon influences are there straight away. There are also botanical aromatic aromas, along with sweet vanilla, sticky marmalade, and orange blossom honey.

On the palate you get the smooth and fruity flavours you’d expect from a quality Bushmills release. There’s burnt orange, ripe apricots, and vanilla cream poached pear flavours lingering. Another sip however, and the bourbon slaps you in the face with more charred oak, salted caramel, bonfire toffee, and even a sprinkling of salted buttery popcorn.

The finish is smooth, rich, and malty. There’s a lingering sweet vanilla and caramel aftertaste, along with toasted oak, a hint of ginger, and a touch of toasted almonds.

Bushmills 21 Year Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey

Another Bushmills release distilled exclusively for the travel retail sector, is the Bushmills 21 Year Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey.

Triple distilled for 18 years in both ex-bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks, the whisky is then transferred to a first fill Marsala fortified wine cask where it slumbers for a further 3 years. This is where the magic really happens.

Bottled at 46% ABV, the whiskey is a gorgeous dark chestnut brown. This is of course, obtained completely naturally.

On the nose, it’s very complex. There are hazelnut aromas, roasted malt, candied ginger, toasted oak, ripe autumn fruits, and a slight indication of drinking chocolate.

On the palate, those Marsala wine influences make their presence felt. There’s red grapes, sticky dates, figs, and cherry brandy flavours here. Sip again, and you should taste caramelised demerara sugar, salted caramel, stewed Victoria plums, sweet oaky vanilla, candied orange, and candied ginger.

The finish is lengthy and surprisingly warming considering the smoothness of the whiskey. There’s toasted oak, sticky toffee pudding, cherries, cocoa hazelnut spread with burnt orange undertones and a whisper of roasted coffee beans coated in dark chocolate for good measure. Wow. Just, wow!

If you’re looking for whisky, or whisky-related info, be sure to head over to GreatDrams.com and take a look at some of the amazing multiple-award-winning whiskies we have available.

Whether you’re after a fruity Speyside, a peaty Islay, or anything in between, here at GreatDrams we’ve got you covered. We’ve also an abundance of whisky-related info for you to read at your leisure, so be sure to check out our blog.

Photo Credit: The Moodie Davitt Report

Tags: Bushmills 15Bushmills 21Travel Retail Releases

Greg

My name is Greg, and I’m a brand strategy consultant, writer, speaker, host and judge specialising in premium spirits. My mission is to experience, share and inspire with everything great about whisky, whiskey, gin, beer and fine dining through my writing, my brand building and my whisky tastings.