Bushmills Releases Oldest Irish Single Malt Whiskey Ever Sold
A 46-year-old Irish whiskey that’s limited to just 300 bottles.
There’s plenty of backbone behind the world’s oldest licensed whiskey distillery, but it takes another level of expertise to carefully age an Irish whiskey across the decades, and the latest Bushmills release makes history in the Irish single malt category. Dubbed “Secrets of the River Bush,” the limited-edition, 46-year-old whiskey is being billed as the oldest Irish single malt whiskey ever sold.
The venerable liquid, pulled from Oloroso sherry butts crafted by the Antonio Paez Lobato Cooperage, pushes the envelope well beyond previous high-age releases, like the company’s Bushmills 33-Year with a port wine finish. Bushmills has made waves in recent years as the official whiskey of Peaky Blinders, but this release takes on a considerably more rarefied air.
The covetable bottle (priced at $12,500 for just 300 examples globally), continues to break new ground for the long-running distillery, said Master Blender Alex Thomas. “For me this isn’t just a smooth, rare single malt whiskey, it is real history in the making,” she noted, adding that “for 46 years, we’ve patiently watched over this remarkable liquid and witnessed it transform into this rich, dark beauty.”
Those words are apt indeed, as plenty of dark fruits and warm oak greet the sipper on the nose, while cinnamon and nutmeg spice shine through on the palate. The whiskey’s finish is a lingering one, and the liquid is further billed as “an artful marriage of Bushmills’ most elusive single malt reserves,” which themselves date back to the late 1970s.
Immediately striking beyond the sequentially numbered hexagonal bottle (and the elegant, hand-finished walnut display case) is the intense, deep mahogany color and the luscious finish.
Patience is an art form when it comes to Bushmills whiskey, and the journey of the spirit touches many hands, stretching back years, Thomas noted. “This remarkable liquid just shows you what time can do. I reflect on the team who laid it to rest in our warehouses 46 years ago,” she said. “We couldn’t do what we do without those guys and their legacy is everything to this single malt.”
Accordingly, the whiskey has proven tough to find: It’s sold out through Bushmills, but select online sites appear to be offering up the limited-edition whiskey. With each sip meant to be properly savored neat, the story of this elusive whiskey will hopefully stretch on for decades in a choice few whiskey collections.