Bushmills 1608: celebrating 400 years of distilling

A long time ago, I thought it wise to not only love, drink and savour whisky, but also set some bottles aside for collecting, selling, getting rich from. I ran into a lot of problems on the way. First of all, I like to drink whisky, so bottles rarely made it to the valuable status they sometimes have today. Secondly, and more importantly if you want to be a collector, I never really found an aim. True, my most numerous amount of bottles come from the Tomatin distillery, and yes, there is a sense to be discovered in that (core range bottlings), but that hardly makes me unique. I just buy what I like these days. Will you found more than average Springbank, Clynelish, Benromach and Ardnamurchan in there? For sure. All the Caol Ila Feis Ile expressions? Yes! But that is more a coincidence than anything else.

Today we take a sip from a special Bushmills, that was very popular in 2008 when it was released. It celebrated the 400th anniversary of the license to distil, and it was also made from a special kind of malt. I tasted it at a festival and immediately bought a bottle. That one was handsomely packed in a beautiful box, and stood in my whisky cabinet for many years. Until the time came that I decided to thin out a bit, and it got sold. For no profit, I might add. I am a lousy collector. Since then I mostly drink whisky (and gain weight). Thanks to Norbert Tebarts I got my hands on a sample. Let’s see how we like it today.

Bushmills 1608, 400th anniversary, bottled at 46 % abv

Makeup: A bottling to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the grant to distil at what would become the Bushmills Distillery. The whiskey was (partly) distilled with crystal malt for exceptional smoothness. It is not a single malt though, but a blended whiskey. Released in, as you might have guessed, 2008. Maturation in bourbon and sherry casks.

General impressions: Oh yes, just how one wants his Irish Whiskey. Fruity, soft, playful. The sherry casks really put a stamp on this Bushmills, with hints of raisins and red fruit. Just how we like it. But the bourbon casks are talkative too, in the form of lychees and peaches. One fruity beast, this one! Let us see if the crystal malt, intended to give a fuller body to beer, also left its mark on the celebratory Bushmills. 

In my opinion, it certainly did, but I am cautious to state it because I do not regularly drink Bushmills. My last sip of it was actually the independently bottled “County Antrim” by the Dutch bottler Van Wees.

The crystal malt leaves a bitterish taste in the mouth, but indeed reminiscent of a good beer. There was some excellent blending here, because it feels complex and rewarding, but also in a way that only blends can offer. With a nimble character that allows you to pour this whiskey in a tumbler just as easily as in a nosing glass. There is no need to add water, but we tried it for you anyway. Not a bad experiment, since it releases even more fruity notes on the nose. I enjoy the smooth dance on my tongue even more. Yeah, this is an easy sipping whiskey, but it has loads of charm.  

Conclusion: Wonderfully composed Bushmills. It covers a lot of terrain, by being sweet, having some complexity, but not scaring away the more casual drinker. Truly a festive bottling.  

Score: 84 points

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