Bushmills 1608 Anniversary Edition was acclaimed as the Best Irish Blended Whiskey with no age statement in the World Whiskies Awards for 2008, announced on 29 February in London. With 2008 only just underway this is already the second accolade for Bushmills 1608 having just won Whisky Magazine’s ‘Innovator of the Year’ award.
The World Whiskies Awards are decided after two rounds of blind tasting by panels of independent whisky experts.
In the same competition, Bushmills 16-year-old single malt Irish whiskey carried off the Best Irish Single Malt Whiskey Trophy. Last year, Bushmills 10 year old single malt Irish whiskey won the same Trophy.
Shivaun Lucey, Global Marketing Director for Bushmills Whiskey said; “It’s not often that a brand gets to celebrate 400 years of whiskey making tradition and we were determined to create an anniversary blend that embodied everything that Bushmills represents. Heritage, innovation and a large measure of character have gone together to make Bushmills 1608 the perfect ambassador for the brand in this special year. It is just the tip of our 400th anniversary activity with our first ever global advertising campaign rolling out across key markets as well as a range of events for media and consumers at the distillery itself.”
Bushmills 1608 is a special limited edition Bushmills Irish whiskey launched to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the original licence to distil granted to the area of Bushmills in 1608. True to the history of Ireland’s oldest working whiskey distillery, Bushmills 1608 is a unique blend of tradition and innovation. It combines some classic features of Bushmills whiskeys (such as triple distillation, the use of fully malted barley and maturation in the finest quality Sherry oak casks) with a pioneering process: it was distilled with crystal malt, a special type of malted barley selected to deliver exceptional smoothness.
Bushmills Malt 16 year old is a distinctive Irish malt whiskey aged for 16 years in a combination of Oloroso Sherry and Bourbon-seasoned casks, then double matured for several months in port casks.
Colum Egan, Bushmills Master Distiller, explained the decision to create a special Bushmills blend for the anniversary year: “We wanted to offer every Bushmills fan something special to celebrate and toast this anniversary with us. Bushmills is the only surviving historical distillery still in full operation in Ireland. And it’s the character and quality of its whiskey that kept it going through the centuries. Bushmills 1608 is just another step in a long history of innovation, a natural expression of our constant dedication to make the smoothest Irish whiskey.”
Bushmills 1608 is on general release across the brand’s key markets from February to December 2008, with a suggested retail price of £49. As of 2009, due to the limited quantities produced, it will only be found in Travel Retail and at the Bushmills Distillery Shop in Co. Antrim. Bushmills Malt 16 year old is generally available in Travel Retail and whisky specialist shops, with a suggested retail price of £39.99.
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Notes to editor:
About crystal malt
The crystal malt used in Bushmills 1608 is named after the crystallized appearance, which the barleycorns take when gently toasted before the distilling process. It lends a sweet, toffee-like smoothness to the final spirit. The result is a whiskey with an alluring sweet aroma, mouth-filling creamy notes and a uniquely smooth finish. “It’s a very approachable whiskey, says Master Distiller Colum Egan, with great smoothness and depth of character. In true Irish style, it has plenty of personality and a gentle touch.”
Why 1608?
Because on 20th April, King James I grants Sir Thomas Phillips a licence to distil ‘uisce beatha’ (gaelic for ‘water of life’, or whiskey as we know it today) within ‘the territory called the Rowte in County Antrim’.
Distilling was already widespread in the region, but until then was a clandestine practice… and a favourite pastime of small farmers. This original grant to distil is the first official record of whiskey making in the Bushmills area, or ‘The Rowte’ as it was then called. At the time, it was testimony to the reputation that this small and remote region of Ireland had earned for the quality of its whiskey. Today, it is a tribute to the unique, unbroken local distilling tradition that lives on at the Old Bushmills Distillery.
Abour Bushmills
Bushmills is made at Ireland’s oldest whiskey distillery. The Bushmills Distillery is the only historic distillery still active today in Ireland and in full production. It has been making whiskey for longer than any other distillery in Ireland. Bushmills is the only distillery in Ireland to make (and bottle) triple-distilled malt whiskey, which is what creates the smoothness that is our house style. This special type of whiskey gives all Bushmills whiskeys their unique combination of smoothness and richness (depth of character), and a distinct honey-sweet taste.
Bushmills’ malt whiskey forms the heart of its blended whiskeys (Bushmills Original and Black Bush), and is bottled as a single malt whiskey in the Bushmills Malt variants (10, 16 and 21 years old). In 2007, Black Bush won the World Whiskies Awards Best Irish Blended Whiskey Trophy. All Bushmills™ whiskeys and creates a unique combination of smoothness and richness.
The Bushmills and Black Bush words, 1608, the pot still device and associated logos are trademarks.
© The Old Bushmills Distillery Co. Limited 2007.
Enjoy Bushmills® Sensibly
Visit www.bushmills.com
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