Bushmills Black Bush

Nice rather mild taste

Nose - cereal grain, honey, apple, caramel, vanilla, orange, lemon, cocoa, oat, fig, cinnamon, nutmeg, apricot, mild ethanol burn. Taste - cereal grain, orange, fig, vanilla, butterscotch, cinnamon, anise, sour apple, honey, cherry, lemon, pineapple, mild alcohol bite, finishing medium short with lemon, fig, and cereal grain flavors. Well after multiple false starts, I finally walked out of a liquor store with a bottle of Black Bush in hand. I’ve tasted this multiple times in the past, but never given it much thought until now. The nose is light, grainy, and fruity. The sherry is incorporated gently and presents as honeyed fig and apricot with a light dusting of cocoa. The palate is similarly grainy with some light citrus, baking spice, and a touch of tropical fruit. The biggest flaws I find are that it tastes young, underproofed, and watery. This is the definition of mild. Past that, it’s actually not bad at all. I was expecting something much more unpleasantly bright and sour, but everything is fairly well integrated. This is about as easy drinking as they come. It might be the most sessionable whiskey I’ve ever tasted. I’m actually surprised it’s 80 proof, as it drinks markedly lower. Overall this is completely average in every way, but it’s the kind of average I may want to keep on the shelf permanently for those times when I want something light, simple, and unassuming.

Smooth. 14th & 7ave. Flannerys Bar

Honeyed fruits and malt. Fairly smooth, with some slight pepper. There’s some mint on the nose as well. Char on the finish. Simple, smooth, decent.