Bushmills 1986 Of. Distiller's Reserve Cask n° 3422 LMDW ----

Ireland, County Antrim. Distillery operational. Owner: Tequila Cuervo La Rojeña

Remaining until 2005 in the fold of the French company Pernod Ricard, which at the time had a monopoly on Irish whiskeys, Bushmills developed near to its southern counterpart Midleton and enjoyed a solid reputation among fans of Irish whiskey. A master of triple distillation, awarding it an inimitably fruity character, and carefully orchestrated maturation, in the late 1990s the distillery released a number of magnificent cask strength, single cask vintages (1988 Rum Barrel, 1991 Sherry Cask, 1990 Bourbon Barrel). The arrival of the new millennium led to the creation of a series of 1975 vintages entitled Millennium Malt. While its two successive owners, Diageo (2005-2014) and Cuervo (2014-present) have continued these bottlings, there have sadly been few innovative developments over recent years.

A single cask Bushmills 1986 (#3422) matured in a lightly toasted American oak cask, selected by Master Distiller David Quinn for La Maison du Whisky. The latter was also given a Bushmills 1985 single sherry cask also bottled at 56.5%.