Bushmills Black Bush

These tasting notes are based on Black Bush bottles I purchased three years ago at a good sale , the store was selling the Black and regular Bushmills for the same sale price in their St. Paddy's sale. It pours a reddish amber in the glass. The nose both malt and grain, leather, chocolate, ripe fruit all wrapped in a cozy blanket of sherry. It has a decent mouthfeel, softer than the typical Irish blend (they do claim a higher portion of malt in the blend). The taste is pretty much like the nose, but there is a bit of vanilla here, the sherry is long lasting, and there is a slight peppery finish, which is still outlasted by the sherry note. I find this to be very enjoyable. I noticed some of the more recent reviews, made since my purchase date, have not been as generous in their remarks. I must buy a more recent bottle to see if it lives up to my expectations now. I will update my review whenever that happens. UPDATE: A couple months have passed and I have purchased a more recent bottle of Black; and, I must say that it is still as consistent and enjoyable as my previous purchases a few years ago. 6

Neat - hints of sweet, apple, honey, caramel, smoky on the back Rocks- opens the sweetness, but not excessive. More caramel Apple

To my own taste Bushmills remains the only easily accessible Irish whisky that does not fail to impress. This applies both to the Original and Single Malt versions as well as to this one, Black Bush. To the nose: marzipan, cherry sugarplum, chocolate candy, licorice, sugar powder, freshly baked bread. To the palate: it's light, slightly spirituous, a bit spicy, a bit bitter to the end, not very deep or mouth-filling, with a touch of vanilla and caramel, a marked wooden note, sweet almonds (that are usually used as a topping on a croissant). The finish is mildly bitter again, with a hint of a burnt oak, raw meat, some nuts and citruses, maltiness and herbs. It is a perfect choice for a daily drink and a convenient, more approachable substitute for more expensive sherry oak matured single malts, for Black Bush has a higher malt degree (approximately 85% of malt spirits in its composition) than its value analogs on the market. It definitely deserves to be praised as it has this value that sets it apart from the other whiskies of a similar price.