Bushmills Black Bush

The epitome of "But do I want to?"

Does your favorite Irish blend have more to do with which one you were first introduced to rather than any objective measure of quality? Quick litmus test: which is yours? Is it Jameson or Tullamore? Or is it Bushmills? If you're American, it's likely one of these three. I've never met anyone who's intro to the genre was Powers here. Those who are introduced to it now have more choices that my generation did: Teeling, Busker, Writer's Tears. But back in the day, there was a trinity: Bushmills, Jameson, and Tully. For me, the intro was Jameson. I ordered it all the time. On the rocks. And I thought I was the shit because most of my friends were drinking Yeungling. But I hated beer. So, yeah. Jameson on the rocks. And at first I got drunk more quickly than they did. Then I developed a tolerance. Then the bar was out of Jameson and suggested Tully, and I thought, but that's not my brand. But really, how much of a difference is there? I don't drink a whole lot of blended Irish anymore. If I buy Irish, it's generally Green Spot or Redbreast. I actually have a fondness for Kilbeggan Small Batch Rye as my budget Irish. I think Writer's Tears is overrated. The Double Oak is good, but about 15$ too expensive. The Copper Pot is decent but about 15$ too expensive. I've had Teeling Blackpitts, which is amazing but also 75$ so it's not exactly an all-the-time purchase, and I have yet to experiment with Teeling Small Batch, though I'm tempted. When it comes to blended, I like Bushmills Red. It's 21$, so it's cheaper than both Tully and Jameson, and it's equivalent to Mills White but the bourbon finish gives it an edge that the white doesn't have. So the next question becomes, is Red better than Black? It's tough to say because the last time I had a bottle of the Red was St. Patty's Day 2020. And this bottle of Black, being the first one I'm tasting, is coming to me June 2022, a small portion I've poured off a bottle I bought as part of a part of my wife's Mother's Day Gift (I got her other things too and made her brunch, but she's also an Irish whisky fan, so it doesn't hurt to throw in a bottle). Whereas the RedBush is finished in bourbon barrels, this is finished in sherry, so there's that difference. Both are sweet but different in kind. I'm not sure one is better than the other definitively, but I can definitely say they're both better than WhiteBush. The palate here is golden apple and vanilla and isn't so grainy as most other Irish blends, so it has that going for it, as I've always felt the cheerios quality of Jameson and Tully mark them as feeling young, and there's isn't the metallic tincture here that are there with those, but I don't remember that being there with RedBush either. I hit this up at 29$, so compared to the RedBush this is 8 dollars more, and I'm not sure this is so much better to justify the cost. In fact, I'd say they were equivalent and the real choice is the question between sherry barrels and bourbon barrels, so it will ultimately come down to your mood and how much you're looking to spend. Both are likely bargains. I think the BlackBush has older whiskies in the blend too, so there's that, but in a blend I'm not sure how much you notice that as well. There's essentially no finish but that's to be expected. I'm pretty sure these are designed to be consumed on the rocks. And I'm holding them to a higher standard by tasting them straight, but aren't we all curious as to what they taste like on their own with no frills? And that's it for me, folks. We're heading toward bedtime and "dry July." This is the last open bottle I have that I hadn't review. And now I'm done. See you at the end of the summer, mofos.