Bushmills, a whiskey like no other-the good life

La légende fait remonter au XIIIe siècle les premiers signes de l’existence de Bushmills. Plus tard, en 1608, Bushmills obtient du roi d’Angleterre James 1^er ce qui reste aujourd’hui la plus ancienne licence à distiller au monde.

This glorious story would only be told in books if the Irish distillery did not always perpetuate the unique know-how that has made its reputation throughout the world today. From raw material to Assembly, to the selection of ageing drums, Bushmills artisans deliver to amateurs a very selective range that includes original, the classic Irish blend, Black Bush with an intense recipe and three single malts from 10, 16 and 21 years old.

The famous triple distillation, brand name of Bushmills

Compared to the traditional methods of its Scottish neighbours, Bushmills and (Irish distilleries in general) use different production processes, such as peat as a raw material. The main singularity is the triple distillation that gives Bushmills its special character, roundness and sweetness. How does it work? First, all the barley used is malted, which will bring a much richer aromatic palette. After drying and fermentation, the resulting product, wash, is carefully boiled in large copper stills, another specificity.

During distillation, the alcohol is separated from the water by evaporation, the steam is collected and let cool to become liquid again. This process is renewed three times, it is the famous triple distillation to obtain at each stage a more refined and aromatic spirit. At Bushmills, this delicate and essential task has been supervised for two decades by master distiller Colum Egan.

A long aging process

The finished distillation, comes the time of maturation. The Irish rule is that spirits must be aged for a minimum of three years and one day. This aging takes place in oak barrels to develop richer and more complex aromas. To take care of it, Bushmills has its own barrels, Alastair and Chris Kane, whose family has been working for the distillery for more than 140 years! These artisans, heirs of a long know-how, select, repair and maintain a precious park.

Astonishing detail: when the drums are filled for the first time, about 3% of the liquid is instantly lost by soaking the wood, not counting the "angel share", a volume of about 2% that evaporates each year.

The subtleties of Assembly

When the whiskey has reached its best aging stage, the final and decisive stage of the Assembly begins. At Bushmills, she is one of the first women in the industry who has the secret. Helen Mulholland is a peer recognized Blender Master, the first woman also recognized at the whiskey Magazine Hall of fame. It is up to her to assemble the various spirits to create the Bushmills range, to ensure their quality and to cogitate future innovations.

Bottled at the distillery itself, the Bushmills whiskeys bring amateurs these identifiable characteristics: roundness, freshness, lightness with this very Irish touch of intensity!

A new packaging

Respect for the best traditions does not prevent Bushmills from innovating. The range of single malts has just been modernized with a new bottle that is more singular and distinctive. The packaging of blends, redesigned ten years ago, had already adapted his identity. That of malts, in its turn, is a combination of elegance and power. And this reminder "1608" engraved at the foot of the bottle tells of the durability of a know-how. A new look but always the same inimitable taste!

> En savoir plus sur le site de Bushmills.

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