Bushmills 16 years Irish Single Malt is some crazy good stuff. First, they start out by triple distilling their traditional Irish Single Malt (as always). Then they take some of the whiskey and put it in ex-bourbon barrels and the rest the put in ex-sherry barrels. Then, after both have aged for at least 16 years, they mix them together and then dump the combined ex-bourbon and ex-sherry whiskey into used port barrels to finish.
This use of the three different casks in this manner is rather unique to the Bushmills 16 single malt and gives it a tremendous depth of flavor and aroma. It carries with it aspects of all 3 barrels as well as the lightly fruity triple distilled Irish distillate itself. This is the Irish whiskey I buy when I want to treat myself but don’t want to spend a crap load of money.
Bushmills 16 years Irish Single Malt Review
Distiller: Bushmills
Age: 16 years
ABV: 40%
Price: $70
EYE
Ruby caramel
NOSE
Dark, fruity and syrupy nose brings thick rich aromas of port, raisins, vanilla, spice and a dark fruit compote with a nutty undertone. On the back end there’s a light bit of Juicy fruit gum and dried strawberries.
PALATE
Cherry heavy dark fruit with notes of malt, red vermouth, toffee, port, brittle, sherry and that same nutty undertone. Some light notes of candied grapefruit rind and red wine come through at the end.
FINISH
Wine, fruit, malt, wood and toasted grains fade at a medium pace.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
A well-balanced malt with everything in place. Rich round body and a smooth syrupy texture.
OVERALL
Bushmills 16 years Irish Single Malt and Powers John’s Lane are my two favorite “every day” Irish sipping whiskeys. I love the balance and complexity of the flavors and aromas; the way they work together to build a great drinking experience from start to finish. This whiskey makes me happy on so many levels which is why it’s always in stock in my house and is also the Irish Whiskey I drink the most of in March.
SCORE: 90/100
Bushmills 16 years Irish Single Malt Review 70
Bushmills 16 years Irish Single Malt Review
For my money this is a great value. I love this whiskey and you get so many rich layers of flavor and aromas for a relatively cheap price when you compare it to similar Scottish products.
Overall
- Nose - 88
- Palate - 89
- Finish - 88
- Balance, Body & Feel - 88
User Review
( votes)( review)
Right Again Thank You
I agree 100% with the above review your are bang on with your ratings have never been steered in the wrong direction I like this whiky BUT still love Red Breast 12 year old
THANK YOU
Thanks Doug, I appreciate that and I’m right there with you on the RB 12 love. It’s one I always have a bottle of either open or stashed away. It’s great stuff. Cheers!
Remember back in the day when this was $70.00? It’s a $130 now. I still buy it though and still love it.
I do, and that’s when the 21 was around $130. The good old days :)
Picked this up yesterday based on your review~ love it! I’ve used your reviews as my buying guide and have not been steered wrong yet!
Glad you love it, I always end up going through a bottle of it each March :). Cheers Jon!
Been reading your Irish whisky reviews with great interest. I’m curious, overall do you prefer Bushmills or Jameson? I’d always been under the impression from your previous articles that you liked Bushmills more, but in seeing your recent reviews I noticed that you tend to score Jameson higher. I think you have the Black Barrel higher than any Bushmills expression.