Bushmills 16 Year Old 3 Wood

Nose, Taste, Finish and Balance are graded out of 2.5 each:

Nose: Graduating up from the Bushmills 10 year old, there is still plenty of the same joyous fruit-fair on show in the 16 year old, with pineapple, apple, banana and lemon all apparent in warm technicolor. There are however also a few extra layers of influence, no doubt from the extra maturation in the Bourbon, Sherry and finally Port casks that goes into this 16 year old. From the bourbon corner we have a subtle offering of corn-chips and cornbread, while from the sherry corner there is the smallest hint of sulphur, as well some cooling sour cream. Finally from the port we have a muted parading of date, fig and peanuts. These aren't abundant and joyful offerings however, more like an anonymous donation at the wedding of someone you don't know. Variety there is however, and the layers blend in seamlessly to form a rewardingly complex nose. 2.0

Taste: Very light and mild on the palate, once again rather anonymous for the intricate maturation process that has gone into it. It's like sitting next to someone at dinner who has two master diplomas and a doctorate and yet with very little to say for themselves by way of stimulating conversation. There is however some mild gingerbread, pine nuts and oaky elderflower to work with, as well as some orange peel and caramelised onion just to tantalise the tastebuds enough to keep the conversation going. 1.5

Finish: Rather short and vegetal, however there is a more pronounced flavour structure on show, much more in the style of what was offered to us initially on the nose. Some mild liquorice is once again reminiscent of the bourbons that once filled the barrel that this whisky briefly resided in, yet there are also some rogue flavours that cannot be immediately attributed to any of the phases of maturation, and must therefore be respected as inherent taste characteristics of the malt itself. Intriguing flavours such as mild cheddar, ginger spice and white chocolate allow the conversation to end on a welcome high. 2.0

Balance: A perfectly pleasant and soothing whisky for after dinner, however it remains slightly muted company and will have you looking over its shoulder to see who else is in the room. Perhaps who we should really be looking out for is the Bushmills 10 year old (connosr.com/reviews/bushmills/…), a whisky with far more life and abundant flavour, very much unique to itself and with a greater strength in character. I feel it may be a case of over-education and a dulling of the spirit, whereas perhaps an increase in ABV from its tame 40% might allow the raw character of the 10 year old to still shine through in the more mature 16 year old, and make the best out its diversely acquired life-experience. 2.0

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