Bushmills Distillery Reserve is a special 12-year-old release that’s only available at the Bushmill’s Distillery itself. It’s a single malt and the majority of the casks used to make this release are sourced from ex-Sherry casks withe ex-Bourbon casks playing a minor role. We tried this whiskey at a private whiskey tasting and normally the bottles are personalized but I photoshopped the name out since I wasn’t able to contact them to see if they want their name left on it or not and I tend to err on the side of privacy.
In Bushmill’s Words: Bushmills Distillery Reserve
“We have an option at the distillery to get personalised labels made for our BUSHMILLS 12 Year Old Single Malt Distillery Reserve. It really makes a lovely gift and costs £39.00, with personalised labels (excluding postage and packaging). Because of the special nature of this service it’s only available at the Old BUSHMILLS Distillery.”
And with that let’s get on with the Bushmills Distillery Reserve review!
Bushmills Distillery Reserve Info
Region: Northern Ireland
Distiller: Bushmills
Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley
Cask: ex-Sherry & ex-Bourbon
Age: 12 years
ABV: 40%
Price: $50
Bushmills Distillery Reserve Review
EYE
Light caramel
NOSE
Fruit, honey, malt, spice, citrus and a bit of bubblegum
PALATE
Malt, fruit, honey, spice, fresh pastries and a bit of bubblegum and citrus
FINISH
Medium drop of malt, fruit, honey and earthy malt
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Ok balance, medium body and a soft watery feel.
OVERALL
Bushmills Distillery Reserve is good stuff. It’s not incredibly complex or dynamic, but it’s good. From aroma through the finish it carries lots of fruit, malt and honey w/ a bit of bubblegum which was my biggest turn off and if it wasn’t there it might have scored a bit higher. It could also have scored a bit higher if it was delivered in a more natural state which, in my opinion, is what you should be getting from the distillery.
I’m not saying Bushmill’s needs to do it with all of their releases, but at the very least this and the 21 should be getting delivered at 46%+ and non-chill filtered. It would help to fully present the beauty of the whiskey and bring new depth and detail to the spirit. Still, as a 80 proof chill-filtered whiskey the Bushmills Distillery Reserve is pretty darn tasty.
SCORE: 83-86/100 (B, consumed at a tasting)
