Well all I can say is what a great hour ....(which turned in to 2

)
Met Colum Egan Bushmills master distiller, Diageo representive Emmet O'Brien and Martin Duffy (I think) their brand ambassador. All were very affable and freely gave up time to talk afterwards.
Colum was full of information and happy to freely discuss Bushmills. Came across as a breath of fresh air and it is obvious that he has a passion for whiskey and related himself to being a whiskey nerd ... he'd be at home here so
So lets get to the detail.
It was not an ideal tasting scene for me so I have no major tasting notes but I did end up buying a 16yo after
We had White Bush, Blackbush, Bush 10yo, Bush 16yo, Bush 21yo & Bush 1608 in that order.
Colum encouraged us to add water but after adding a drop to the Blackbush and ruining it I did not bother after that.
Bushmills Standard general charateristics for me were Vanilla , caramel(taste not colouring) and smooth oak.
I think this blend is totally bourbon aged.
Blackbush. Christmas Cake fruit mix and nutty. High sherry matured content.
Great to hear directly form Colum that this always has a 70%+ malt content.
10yo Peach Mango Vanilla with a touch of spice and honey.
Whiskey used again bourbon aged and from 10-13 years old whiskey used.
16yo A much richer whiskey with a bigger woodiness in it which is lovely. Was really impressed with this. Introduced in 1996 due to a spike in production in 1980.
16yo Bourbon and sherry casks finished in port wood for 6-9mths.
21yo Rich & Dry fruits and dark chocolate. Introduced in 2001 for the first time. 900 cases per year only.
1608 400th Anniversary I know some Bushmills fans don't overly rate this but it was my favourite of the day with the 16yo second. I found out that this was originally going to be a single malt but Colum was not happy and decided to add a bit of grain. He added less than 5% grain to open it up and create something that he was happier with. This really impressed me as it shows how Colum is more interested in the taste rather than creating something that sounds good on paper i.e. a single malt.
The other interesting thing about this is what it is made from ... Crystal Malt. Not being sure what Crystal malt was Colum explained. Crystal Malt is not a type/strain of Malt but a style of production of the malt. During the malting process it is let to simmer thus converting the starches to sugars even before the brewing process.