Bushmills 2008 The Causeway Collection Jupille Casks Finish

Bushmills launched the Causeway Collection in 2020 in which a number of finished whiskeys appeared. The one now in the glass was distilled in 2008 and was matured on both bourbon and oloroso sherry casks, before being transferred to Jupille casks for the last three years. Jupille is a French oak species, after the forest of the same name in France at the foot of the Pyrenees.

When I stick my nose in the glass for the first time, I seem to smell a bourbon whiskey. I mainly get vanilla and coconut, followed by a fierce nuttiness. A little later follows a pretty floral touch with hints of red fruit. Pleasant, but not exceptional (and a tad atypical for Bushmills, in my experience). If you add a few drops of water, it softens considerably and suddenly shows its Irish nature, i.e. soft, because triple distilled, but it also shows a lot more earthy notes.

Great body. Nice and oily and immediately a bit spicy. Both the alcohol makes itself felt and a good spiciness of the oak. I even gasp, so the fruitiness clearly has some trouble showing itself. Again red fruit, nuts and vanilla. Something of marzipan. With water it is a lot sweeter and more accessible and – in my (un)modest opinion – better.

The finish is very spicy. The Jupille oak offers a big kick to the teeth with black pepper and nutmeg. Becomes slightly bitter towards the end, even if you dilute it with some water.

A nice experience, but in my opinion a bit too expensive for what you get. Thx, Benny!

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