Bushmills 10 Year Single Malt

Rating: 9/23 I'd like to SBS this with Black Bush, but instead I'll SBS it with the low end of the Bushmill's line (the white label). N: A very mild nose. Hard to pick out much going on here. It's kind of grainy and oily. Less floral and sweet than regular Bushmill's, but not particularly more mature. It doesn't even really smell malty. P: Not really smooth, but not terribly harsh. At first I get very little, but then I get some barley followed by those nice Bushmill's malt apricot notes. It is far from complex and the alcohol is definitely present, essentially all this has going for it is that apricot note, which is admittedly fairly substantial here. Aside from that, it's oily and a tad too harsh. After just a couple of sips though, my palate becomes accustomed to the apricot and I start to lose its flavor. The barley starts becoming more toasted as I have more, which is good, but not as good as having the apricot is. Regular Bushmill's does showcase its alcohol more, but it's also more complex and interesting. Following regular Bushmill's, the lack of comparative sweetness poses a problem for the apricot in this. Also, the oiliness and barley are what really stand out here. The lack of complexity without a big richness or similarly amazing flavor a la Old Fitz or some sherry bombs is a big problem here. F: Nothing exciting. It's hard to even notice it long enough to detect the flavor. A bit of grain and perhaps the faintest hit of apricot. It still tastes young. So the apricot is the one good thing here, but it quickly disappears. Since I can't even make it trough a glass without losing it, this is a pass on a pour and a hard pass on a bottle. I'd rather get regular Bushmills (or preferably Black Bush) for less since that has more personality and at least seems like a good mixer and it's interesting to try a young spirit sometimes. I'd say that as a dram I'm forced to sip, I might lean slightly toward this rather than regular Bushmill's just because of that apricot flavor, but it's honestly a very underwhelming dram. It's a tough call between this and Sir Edward's 12 as well because of the sulphur in Sir Edward's but I do appreciate the complexity in Sir Edward's. I'm looking at a 9 here, but it could be an 8. I'm in a toss-up with this and Tomintoul 10 as well, which further validates my rating here since I gave the Tomintoul a 9 as well. Really glad I only paid for 30 ml of this. I think I ultimately like this about a point better than regular Bushmill's, which is just a really disappointing outcome. A 9 it is.

Sweet smooth and delicate

Consistent body and flavor. Caramel notes with a maltiness.