Bushmills 23 Years Crystal Malt Whiskey Review

I love Bushmills, it’s one of my favorite brands, so when the opportunity came to taste this rare gem, Bushmills 23 Years Crystal Malt Whiskey, I jumped. I’ve had a ton of Bushmills in my time, but still today, one of my favorites is the  Bushmills 21 it’s what I drank on my ill-fated honeymoon 15 years ago. The memories and love of the whiskey have long outlasted the marriage. I don’t know who that’s more a reflection of Me, her or the whiskey… maybe all three. All I know is Bushmills 21 is one of my favorites so this has a lot to live up to.

First introduced to the market in the Bushmills 1608 (400th-anniversary release), the crystal malt left an impression on me and ever since my first taste of that whiskey I’ve wondered what it would be like as a standalone single malt. Today, 12 years after I first pondered it, we get to answer that question.

Bushmills 23 Years Crystal Malt Whiskey – Details and Tasting Notes

Whiskey Details

Region: Ireland

Distiller: Bushmills
Mash: 100% Malted Barley (Crystal Malt)
Cask: ex-Bourbon
Age: 23 Years
ABV: 50%

Price: $N/A (yet)*

Tasting Notes

EYE
Honey

NOSE
Fresh and juicy complex fruit (tropical, orchard and dark), crisp honied notes, spice, roasted nuts and an undercurrent of oak.

PALATE
Madeira-like sweetness, wrapped around a stunningly complex and buttery fruit with layers of nuts, pastries, honey, copper and spice.

FINISH
Long -> Honey, fruit, nuts, malt, oak and copper.

BALANCE, BODY and FEEL
Good, med-full, warm oily

Bushmills 23 Years Crystal Malt Whiskey – Overall

Aroma runs the gamut on fruit, but leans slightly tropical with a nice soft nutty and earthy-malty profile that keeps things balanced; Palate is an amped up version of the aroma with the fruit being rich and buttery and the earthy-malty notes being deep and brooding; Finish is a slow ride of honied fruity nutty goodness

This is the multi-faceted Irish Single Malt I wish I could drink all the time. Truly excellent.

Bushmills 23 Years Crystal Malt Whiskey – Final Thoughts and Score

I can’t find enough good to say about this whisky. It starts as a fruit bomb and then slowly unfolds and evolves into something more complex, diverse and interesting. Earthy, oaky, malty, spicy and metallic notes arrive as it opens giving it depth and dimension.

This Bushmills 23 Years Crystal Malt Whiskey should be a regular release. It’s almost perfect and if I could get it, and afford to, it’s another Bushmills I’d add as a permanent on my shelf. I’d never be without this brilliant Irish Single Malt… wow.

SCORE: 4.5/5

*Disclosure: The sample for this Irish Whiskey review was graciously sent to me by the company without obligation. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.

The post Bushmills 23 Years Crystal Malt Whiskey Review appeared first on The Whiskey Jug.