Bushmills 16 Years Old (40%, OB, 2015)

• Category: Irish single malt whiskey
• Origin: Bushmills Distillery
• Bottling: Official
• ABV: 40%
• Cost: £54.83
• Score: 86/100

What they say:

Well‚ it takes a special dedication to create the Bushmills 16 year-old‚ that and lots of patience. Two whiskeys are matured for 16 years‚ one in a bourbon barrel and the other in sherry‚ and then they are married together in a sweet port infused cask. It’s a marriage made in heaven!

NOSE:

Aromatic nose with hints of almonds and a nutty sweetness.

TASTE:

A warm port sweetness on the back of the throat that drifts up to form an almond‚ marzipan fusion with hints of honey and praline on the tongue.

FINISH:

Deep‚ jammy and dark chocolate.

What I say:

The fifth and final during the #BushmillsWhiskey Tweet tasting hosted by Steve @TheWhiskyWire, the pinnacle of their standard range.

Colour:

Rich ruby amber with gold highlights (13/20), Medium-sized tears leaving well-defined medium legs

Nose:

Almond oil/essence, creamy milky fruits behind it, banana and more tropical, light mango and pineapple, nice

Taste:

Fruity, strawberry laces and cherry lips sweeties, kirsch, chicory/coffee, woody oak, toffee, leather…

Finish:

Long, spiced fruity and toffee’d leather

Overall:

This dram from Bushmills possibly has it all, from lovely tropical fruit depths to a gently spiced leathery edge. The complex maturation leaves this very well balanced with not to much dominance of the sherry or port casks. This leaves a tingling multifactorial dram, as enjoyable as it is complex.