Bushmills Info & Facts

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Though it might be handy to have a dedicated thread to cover this

Bushmills in 2005 were averaging 1.5 MLAs (Million Liters of ALcohol) per annum

Currently they are producing 4.5 MLA's p/a. They had hoped to push that up a bit further but because of the current climate they are going to stay steady for the time being.

They take delivery of about 270 tonnes of Malted Barley every week which is sourced in Ireland. Mainly from the Malting Company Of Ireland in cork. They also get some from Minch Malt a green core processing centre in Athy. (It is interesting to note that Minch Malt was founded in 1847 by Matthew J. Minch with the purchase of two small maltings in Athy County Kildare.)

During production, they are producing a mash every 6hours which sounds like a very busy site.

They use an industry standard yeast the MX strain which they get for Kerry Group's Menstrie yeast production plant in Scotland. MX is specifically produced for wort used in distilling.

Bushmills usually have 170,000 casks of Whiskey maturing at any one time. They have a strict cask policy and source their bourbon from a large cooperage in the states while sourcing their sherry casks which are Oloroso directly from a Cooperage and Bodega of Antonio Perez (sic) of Jerez (Pronounced Hereth) in Spain.

Their maturing stock is averaging a very consistent 2% evaporation per annum . The abv loss is also fairly consistent and is calculated to lose 0.5% per year for the first 10year and 0.25% there after.

Bushmills has a ten year contract with Midleton for the supply of Grain whiskey but forsee no issues with this set up. It is shipped up by container and then casked by Bushmills in their own casks. Thus having full control over the grain whiskey and how it matures. They have no plans currently to do their own.

They have no plans to bring out any new bottlings due to current financial conditions and are concentrating on building a following on core products. The 1608 400th Ann was due to be with drawn from market after 2008 but they have decided to allow limited supply to be available in the Distillery shop and selected travel retail out lets.

I could of spent the day talking to the guys but was under time pressure as I had left the wife waiting patiently for over 30minutes so counted my losses and skipped after that.

[stephen leddy]

Adrian, fascinating stuff.

I hope to visit the distillery later this year. Is there any distillery special bottlings that you would recommend picking up there?

S

[JohnM]

Adrian, fascinating stuff.

I hope to visit the distillery later this year. Is there any distillery special bottlings that you would recommend picking up there?

S

I think the only special distillery bottling available is the 12 year old. It is very good. I suppose the 400th anniversary 1608 is also a distillery special now.

[varizoltan]

I was there last saturday,after the Cooley visit.

i have to say i enjoyed the Giants Causeway more than the Bushmills distillery

there is nothing fancy to see, they rush you through the distilery in 20 minutes, with some "useless student tour guide"

then you get a whiskey and that is it

you can pay for a "tutored" whiskey tasting (same as tour guide, useless) which is an extra £5, and you sample Jim Beam, Johnie Walker, Bushmills, and Blackbush and at the and you can choose from 12 year old distillery reserve or 1608 to drink, and finally you get your Qualified Whiskey Taster Certificate with your name on it, which is make you feel good, as long as you enter the shop and you see they sell them for anyone who pays £2

i have to say it is even worst then the Jameson in Dublin

i just felt that this is all about get the money off you and then they let you f..k off

i expected more from it, and specially friendlier staff with knowledge about Bushmills Whiskey and not teenager tourguides who never drink Whiskey and reading things from a piece of paper through the tour

i have been there a good few times before, but i have to say the gone down on quality big time

unless you want to see the Giants Causeway, keep away from it

that is my point of view

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

All the more reason for us to organise our own IWS trip ... to guarantee a better tour

[varizoltan]

that is a goodone to talk about at the next committee meeting

[Whiskey Pilgrim]

Kaixo guys,
I am disapointed with Bushmills promoting and marketing here in Spain,i thought after the take over by Diageo their would be more support..not so
I have the interesting duty free 1 litre bottle of 12yr Rum matured expression.should have bought two was only 40 euros a couple of years back.

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Kaixo guys,
I am disapointed with Bushmills promoting and marketing here in Spain,i thought after the take over by Diageo their would be more support..not so
I have the interesting duty free 1 litre bottle of 12yr Rum matured expression.should have bought two was only 40 euros a couple of years back.

That was still available in certain online shops in Germany & Netherlands up to six months ago, it's probably just a matter of going through them. I am not 100% but possibly still available in some Travel Retail shops also. As this was their main Travel Retail bottle it may be considered as a core brand or they just may use up their Rum casks on this product so we possibly may see it again.

I personally was not a huge fan but possibly the 40% ABV did not highlight it's better side. I have a single cask, cask strength version also so that may be a better sup all together.

[jcskinner]

Can confirm the rum-casked single cask Bushes are excellent. I've tried two, one released in the States and one released on this side of the pond, and they were both chock full of coconutty goodness!

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Can confirm the rum-casked single cask Bushes are excellent. I've tried two, one released in the States and one released on this side of the pond, and they were both chock full of coconutty goodness!

Aaahhh it's all coming back to me now .... it's the Coconut bit I didn't like

Still I probably should try the cask strength version any way just to be sure.

[jcskinner]

The Caribbean cask is a bit like a bounty bar - milk chocolate and sweet coconut milk. Comes in litre bottles that go down too easy in the summer months.
The single cask is a good bit more subtle, and obviously has a bit more of a punch too. More like coconut oil, and less of the sweetness, though some vanilla comes through from the wood according to my old tasting notes.
You've reminded me that I need to lay my hands on some of the Caribbean cask and the old 1608 duty free edition before they vanish entirely. Anyone going through an airport anytime soon?

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

The Caribbean cask is a bit like a bounty bar - milk chocolate and sweet coconut milk.

Obviously finished in Malibu cask so

PM sent by the way

[TheWhiskeyBro]

Apparently Bushmills are bringing out new livery following the recent changes by Jameson & Cooley.

In an article published in the July edition of Frontier magazine

Summarising his views on the Irish whiskey segment, Ruggeri believes that it constitutes “a great introduction for consumers to the overall whiskey category. Bushmills Original is the perfect entry point, and the breadth of the Bushmills portfolio provides a range of options for consumers to develop further appreciation of the category. We are fully committed to the future of the Bushmills brand and, with new Bushmills packaging under preparation, we are ensuring that the brand is set for the next 400 years.”

http://www.frontiermagazine.co.uk/artic ... w-221.html

So yet another change to look forward to!!!