Bushmills 16 yr Single Malt Whiskey 750ml

Bushmills Distillery holds a license to distill dating back to 1608, making it one of the oldest working distilleries in the world. Located in County Antrim on Northern Ireland's Causeway Coast, the distillery has built its reputation on triple distillation and a mash bill of one hundred percent malted barley, a style that sets its single malts apart from more familiar blended Irish whiskeys.

This expression spends roughly fifteen years maturing in a combination of ex-oloroso sherry and bourbon-seasoned casks before finishing for about nine months in port pipes, the large barrels traditionally used to age port wine. That final stage lends the whiskey its characteristic ruby tint and adds a layer of dried fruit and spice on top of the base spirit's malty character. It is bottled at 40% ABV.

The nose opens with honey and ripe fruit, cherries, plums, and a touch of pear, before giving way to black pepper, leather, and cinnamon bark. On the palate, juicy stone fruit and red berries in syrup meet honey, vanilla, and warming Christmas spice, turning progressively oakier. The finish is short to medium, closing on jammy fruit and lingering syrup.