Bushmills
Master Blender handcrafts exclusive
single malts for 'Bushmills Live'
headliners THE 1975 and TIRED PONY.
Bushmills Master Blender Helen
Mulholland has handcrafted two of what
is probably the most exclusive Bushmills
Irish single malt whiskies that you are
ever likely to hear of and probably
never get the chance to taste.
Helen has crafted two exclusive single
malt whiskies, one each for the
Bushmills Live headliners THE 1975 and
Gary Lightbody’s supergroup TIRED PONY.
The whiskies have been inspired by the
bands who played at the exclusive
festival on June 12 at the Old Bushmills
Distillery on Ireland’s north coast,
where the art of whiskey-making,
perfected over generations, is practised
every day.
To celebrate THE 1975’s performance,
Helen hand-picked the casks from each of
the years the band members were born -
1988, 1989 and 1990 - to create the
Bushmills 24 Year Old Single Malt Irish
Whiskey ‘The 1975’ - Artist’s Reserve.
Only eight bottles exist in the world.
Helen said: "This whiskey encompasses
the core spirit of Bushmills Live –
celebrating handcrafted whiskey and
handcrafted music. Each of the casks has
a different finish: bourbon, sherry and
wine, creating a wonderful combination
of flavours. The liquid is full of the
honeyed, warm tones typical of Bushmills,
but with a spectacularly long finish
that would perfectly complement
‘Chocolate’…or anything else for that
matter!"
To celebrate TIRED PONY’s visit to
Bushmills, Helen created a personalised
Single Malt Triple Distilled TIRED PONY
– Artist’s Reserve blend of the
Bushmills single malts. Three types of
bourbon casks contributed to the blend –
each representing one of the three
renowned bands from which TIRED PONY was
formed: R.E.M., Snow Patrol and Belle &
Sebastian.
Helen explained why the bourbon finish
was a particularly significant choice.
She said: “U.S. Bourbon casks
traditionally give deeply rich, honeyed
tones. I decided to use these not only
because they reference the Americana
style of music that TIRED PONY play, but
also because it recognizes the location
where their first two albums were
recorded.
“It was crafted with a touch of whiskey
drawn from port finished casks, laid
down in 2009 – which was also the year
that the band formed. The result is a
whiskey full of vibrant layers, which we
hope will inspire future recordings.
“There are only ten bottles of the
special TIRED PONY blend in the world –
one for each member of the band and for
the guest musicians who joined them at
Bushmills Live, and one that will stay
at the Old Bushmills Distillery for them
to share with friends whenever they next
visit.”
THE 1975 and TIRED PONY played the third
Bushmills Live alongside a host of
international and local artists
including James Vincent McMorrow, Luke
Sital-Singh, Matthew and the Atlas,
David C. Clements, Rubblebucket and
Levity Breaks.
The Artist’s Reserve bottles were
created as a gift from Bushmills to the
bands and are not available to buy.
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