Bushmills Red Bush

It has a soft sweet aroma full of vanilla backed with oak and light honey. The flavor is malty with a BIG vanilla note. There is some charred white oak but it is very soft, also has an almost peaty taste towards the finish. The vanilla is very pronounced throughout which is delicious! The body is light and creamy. Thoroughly enjoy this on a hot summer evening neat with a glass of water on the side.

Strong vanilla and honey on the nose, with sweet grainy confections like oatmeal cookie. Apart from the bakery aromas, this smells almost exactly like you are about to taste an actual bourbon. The sweet expectation is not immediately met, however, as the entry is surprisingly sharp, with a piercing spiciness of wood and young grain, which then mellows out into the more familiar honey that the nose promised. I think this disjointed entry is unique to a fresh bottle, as it is smoothed over a little if open for a while. In any case, the spice eventually reemerges with a little bitterness, and lingers into the short finish. While not quite as good on its own as I was expecting, I got this specifically because I thought that it would pair nicely with summertime beers. I was not wrong on that front; this (or Black Bush) is exactly the kind of thing you want for that. Definitely one of my favorite all-around cheap blends.