Irish whiskey brand Bushmills has released a new range of single malts, including a 19-year-old expression matured in a rare Burgundy feuillette cask.
The new Causeway Collection is a series of 10 cask-finished single malt whiskies. The range is inspired by the Giant’s Causeway, a large formation of hexagonal rocks in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
The Causeway Collection includes expressions finished in new American oak, Cognac, wine and fortified wine casks.
Bushmills said that recent releases in Ireland (Malaga 1995, Muscatel 2008) and Australia (Marsala 2006) have been met with ‘critical acclaim’. As such, the brand has given these casks more time to rest, decades in some cases, which has resulted in ‘unique waves of flavour’.
“This launch represents a bold new step for Bushmills, one that not only honours the giants and generations before us but also the incomparable natural landscape in which it was forged,” said master blender Helen Mulholland.
“The whiskeys in this collection, all non-chill filtered and some of the first cask strength whiskeys to be released by us in over 15 years, are among Bushmills’ greatest treasures. We can’t wait to share them with the world. With these new exclusive releases, we celebrate our passion for single malt, showcase our rare and unique casks, and honour our 400-year heritage.”
The series includes the 2001 Feuillette Cask, which marks the first cask strength release from the brand in more than 15 years and the first red wine cask-matured whiskey from Bushmills to be made available in Great Britain.
The single malt was aged for more than 17 years in oloroso Sherry butts and Bourbon barrels before being matured for two years in a rare Burgundy cask – one of four feuillette casks at the Bushmills distillery. The cask, which can fill 168 bottles, is also the smallest that Mulholland has ever worked on.
The resulting whiskey is bottled at cask strength, 49% ABV, and has notes of smooth plum and cherry fruits.
Each expression in the range will be available in nine different countries by the end of 2020, including the UK, France, Germany, China, Portugal, Nordic countries and global travel retail.
The non-chill-filtered 2001 Feuillette Cask will be available in the UK from 7 December, exclusively from The Whisky Shop. Only 168 bottles of the 2001 Feuillette Cask are available, priced at £200 (US$266) per 700ml.
In October, Bushmills entered into consultation with 14 workers at its visitor centre due to the pandemic.