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Bushmills
unveil #3 Char Bourbon Cask Reserve, the latest addition to the travel retail
exclusive Steamship Collection.
Bushmills has unveiled the latest
addition to their global travel retail
exclusive Steamship Collection, the
Bushmills #3 Char Bourbon Cask Reserve.
"#3 Char" refers to the charring level of
the casks which were used to mature the new Bourbon Cask Reserve
whiskey, this
charring level plays a major part in the
flavour of the final whiskey. Typically ex-Bourbon
casks used to mature Scotch and Irish
whiskey have a charring level of #3 which
means that the inside of the cask has
been exposed to heat/burning for 45
seconds, it doesn't sound like much but
varying the charring time of the cask by just +/- 15
seconds can have a
significantly different effect on the
maturing whiskey.
 For this third addition to the Bushmills
Steamship Collection which was launched
to mark the 125th anniversary of the
maiden voyage of SS Bushmills, Bushmills Master
Blender, Helen Mulholland has chosen to
follow the earlier Steamship Collection
releases of Bushmills Port Cask Reserve
and Bushmills Sherry Cask Reserve with
an expression matured in probably the
most commonly used type of cask to
mature Irish whiskey, the American
ex-Bourbon Cask, and it goes without saying
that it should have a place in the
Bushmills travel retail Steamship
Collection line-up.
Helen commented on the new whiskey, saying; "#3 Char Bourbon Cask
Reserve is the result of our
long-standing relationship with master
coopers from Louisville, Kentucky who
reserve only the finest American white
oak, custom-charred bourbon casks to
mature this unique whiskey.
"By using a custom char we are able to
draw out incredible spicy, honeyed
vanilla flavours from deep within the
fine grain American white oak. The
resulting whiskey has subtle notes of
toasted oak, spices and crème brûlée
with a long, rich and smooth finish."
Those of you interested in a little more
in-depth explanation of how the charring
level effects the final whiskey, technically the charring level opens up
small channels in the oak allowing the
spirit to absorb deep into the oak,
further extracting aromatic aldehyde's
and increasing the release of natural
vanillin's and at the same time absorbing
undesirable flavour congeners which are thought
to cause hangovers. By charring the oak
you are converting the outside layer
into carbon charcoal, some of the wood
sugars are converted into caramel notes while
also acting like a carbon
filter which filters
out unpleasant sulphur flavours.
Like any good Irish whiskey there has
got to be a good story behind it and the
Bushmills Steam Ship Collection
certainly has a story. As I said the collection was launched to mark the
125th anniversary the SS Bushmills,
which first set course in for America and beyond
back in 1890, loaded with a cargo of Bushmills Irish
Whiskey.
On the extraordinary maiden voyage
it sailed to the corners of the globe
where it established knowledge and relationships
with some of the world’s finest wine and
spirits producers, before returning home
with a variety of their finest seasoned
casks. It is these relationships that
have served the Old Bushmills Distillery
to this day, helping Bushmills master
distillers explore the potential of
whiskey maturation in exclusive and rare
casks.
The Bushmills #3 Char Bourbon Cask
Reserve will be bottled at 40% ABV and
presented in a 1 litre bottle with a RRP
of £50 and will be available exclusively
in selected travel retail outlets from
early 2018. Meanwhile you will find the
current Bushmills core whiskey range
available from specialist online whisky
shops such as
Master of
Malt
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