The Old Bushmills Distillery has unveiled a new release fused with the flavours of one of the world’s oldest grapes.
Master blender Alex Thomas has turned to Muscat of Alexandria white wine Malaga casks for the latest innovation at the north coast distillery.
The new 14-year-old single malt Irish whiskey launched by Bushmills this week has been finished for 12 months inside the Malaga casks.
Ms Thomas said that coupled with the traditional flavours from the first and second-fill bourbon barrels, the white wine casks imbue the whiskey with rich scents of sweet honey, vanilla and gentle aromas of mandarin orange married with warm spice.
“I really wanted to step out of my comfort zone and create an exciting taste experience for everyone – something a bit unexpected that’s unlike any other expression in our core range,” said the master blender.
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“I also have a lot of experience with Muscat of Alexandria, the grape variety carefully chosen to produce the Malaga wine we use to season our oak barrels.
“Wine lovers will know this is one of the oldest grapes in the world and produces incredible flavour profiles. I really feel this is a whiskey for everyone.”
The release of the 14-year-old spirit from Bushmills follows the launch of a number of up-market Irish whiskeys, including a 44-year-old single malt and a 36-year-old produced in collaboariton with Belfast’s The Friend At Hand Irish whiskey emporium.
