Tony's Whisky Corner: Bushmills 28 Year Old Single Malt Cognac Cask

The first of Bushmills Rare Cask series is oaky and buoyant with a gentle spice

For whatever reason, I’ve never thought of Bushmills as a high-end whiskey brand. It’s not that it lacks for pedigree — having been around since 1608, it’s the oldest licensed distillery in the world. And it’s not like they don’t have some fancy and tasty single malt expressions, ranging in age from 10-21 years and matured in casks ranging from sherry to port to madeira. But when I think of Bushmills, I don’t lump it in with the more rarefied brands like Redbreast or Teeling’s. It’s always their more prosaic, workaday blends that spring to mind first.

Three decades in wood

With that in mind, Bushmills’ launching of their Rare Casks series aims to change my perceptions — and maybe the perceptions of the booze-swilling public at large — of what the heck Bushmills is all about. For the first of what promises to be an annual series, they’re not messing around. Bushmills 28 Year Old Single Malt Cognac Cask (46.7% ABV, $500) has been patiently awaiting its time in the spotlight since it was laid down in 1992. It spent 11 years in ex-bourbon barrels and sherry casks, followed by 17 more years in ex-cognac casks, before being blended and bottled by Bushmills’ master blender, Helen Mulholland, earlier this year.

Close to three decades in wood has not weighed this whiskey down in the slightest — its pale golden mahogany color suggests a much more youthful dram, and that’s borne out by the palate, which is a downright buoyant mix of vanilla, barley, and dried fruit, with an emphasis on pear. The oak makes its influence felt on the finish, but even then the spice is more of a gentle cinnamon than a tingly pepper. This is one elder statesman that doesn’t show its age. Think of it as the Paul Rudd (the Jane Fonda? Maybe the William Shatner?) of whiskey.

There are fewer than 500 bottles of Rare Casks No. 1 available worldwide, and needless to say, it won’t be available again, though Bushmills is already auditioning some very cool rare malts for next year’s model. A nice thing about being in the whiskey business for 400-plus years is that you’ve had time to accumulate plenty of aged stock. It’s going to be fun to see where they go from here. In the meantime, if you’re interested in scoring a bottle of this limited edition, have a look-see over at Flaviar.