Bushmills: Causeway Collection: 1997: Rum Cask (Irish Single Malt Whiskey: 25 Year: 46.2% ABV)
Visual: Pale yellowed gold. Medium thickness and speed streaks come from the spirit.
Nose: Sherry trifle. Fresh cut apple. Raisins. Vanilla custard. Smooth. Green grapes. Water adds peppery character. More green grapes. Cleaner.
Body: Honey. Slight thickness. Mango. Green grapes. Clotted cream. Raisins. Brandy cream. Slightly drying tannins. Apple. Water adds more mango. Dried banana and toffee.
Finish: Brandy cream. Raisins. Figgy pudding. Slight oak. Vanilla custard. Peppery. Mango. Water adds dried banana. Green grapes and dry fudge.
Conclusion: The Causeway Collection continues to massively impress me. I mean, at the bloody cost for a bottle it damn well should! But often expensive whiskies can be quite the let down. This manages to dodge that (and, again while a full bottle is expensive this six pack of minis is a freaking steal)
This is nothing like what I expected a rum cask whisky to taste like – while there are spirity cream and raisin notes that are familiar the main character showing through is the green fruit that I love as the Bushmills base character but now enhanced by mango that makes it unusual and exceptionally fruity.
Despite a (admittedly comparatively low) cask strength this is super smooth, but the extra abv does give a nice bit of grip that some Bushmills can lack.
While I prefer the sheer intensity of the 2000 Port Wood Causeway bottling, the smoothness and complexity of this one cannot be overstated. It is one of the most unusual Bushmills I have had, while still showing its base character and as that it is one of the most rewarding I have had from them.
Absolutely excellent, rather than overwhelm the base spirit with the unusual aging this manages to just that fruitiness in a new direction that works magnificently.
Background: So, same as in Bushmills 16 notes “Ok this is incredibly good value. I picked up a set of mini Bushmills from The Whisky shop. It had 3 cl of Bushmills 10,16,21, Causeway Collection 2000 Port cask, 1997 Rum cask and 1991 Madeira cask. For 30 quid. The 1991 Madeira cask goes for 695 quid a bottle, which works out at just short of 30 quid for 3cl of that alone! I have no freaking clue how they sell this for 30 pounds. Any which way, a must grab for me. “. I still can;t get over how this was only 30 quid for the set. Only the 1997 left to do notes on after this. The Bushills 12 Year Caribbean Rum finish was one of my favorite whiskies all those years ago when you could still get it, so I have had a soft spot for rum cask Bushmills ever since. A competitively low cask strength on this one – at just over 46% it is similar to some of the more robust standard whiskey bottlings you can find – guess the angel share was nasty for this one. Went with Fear Factory: Demanufacture for backing music, big music for big whiskey.
