Bushmills 26 Year Old Crystal Malt Single Malt Irish Whiskey 750ml

Most single malts get their character in the barrel. This one starts in the barley. Crystal malt is barley that is roasted after malting, in a process that locks in sugars and produces caramel and chocolate notes, much like the crystal malts used in brewing. Bushmills used it to make a triple-distilled single malt, then filled the new spirit into first-fill bourbon barrels from Kentucky’s Kelvin Cooperage on November 20, 1997, and let it rest 26 years before bottling at 46% ABV, non-chill filtered. As a Bushmills blender explained, “by carefully controlling temperature and timing, we are able to lock in those sugars, resulting in a malt that brings forward intense flavor at the pre-distillation stage.”

Bushmills is based in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, and traces its roots to a 1608 license, which makes it one of the oldest licensed distilleries in the world, with a formal distillery company established in 1784. The 26 Year Crystal Malt is among its most unusual releases: an ultra-rare, ultra-aged expression where the chocolate and caramel character that began in the grain has been refined by more than two decades in American oak. Rob Report said it is “an ode to chocolate.” Despite its age, it’s a surprisingly pale, “radiant golden” whiskey, lighter in color than most whiskeys of this age.

The official tasting notes describe a color of “golden honey,” an aroma of “sweet floral honeyed apples followed by mellow wood and warm caramel,” a taste of “creamy butterscotch, crème brûlée, roasted nuts, dark chocolate, spiced pear and warm vanilla,” and “a comforting warm, smooth finish with the return of gentle oak, honeyed apples and pears.” Rob Report found “big chocolate malt notes that lead the palate, along with fresh fruit, a bit of grass, and long notes of vanilla and caramel.” Maxim wrote that the 26-year rest “softens the cacao punch into more of a deep tissue massage of toasted nuttiness.” It’s an elegant, creamy, chocolate-and-vanilla malt that is best sipped neat, slowly. Bottles are produced in extremely limited quantities for collectors and once-in-a-lifetime celebrations.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Bushmills 26 Year Old Crystal Malt is produced at the Old Bushmills Distillery in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is made from specially toasted crystal malt barley, triple distilled, and matured exclusively in first-fill bourbon barrels from Kentucky’s Kelvin Cooperage, filled on November 20, 1997, for 26 years. Non-chill filtered. Bottled at 46% ABV / 92 proof, 750ml, in extremely limited quantities.

Critics Reviews

Rob Report:
“There are big chocolate malt notes that lead the palate, along with fresh fruit, a bit of grass, and long notes of vanilla and caramel.”

Maxim:
“The long 26-year slumber in American oak softens the cacao punch into more of a deep tissue massage of toasted nuttiness.”

Bushmills (official tasting notes):
“Color: Golden honey. Aroma: Sweet floral honeyed apples followed by mellow wood and warm caramel. Taste: Creamy butterscotch, crème brûlée, roasted nuts, dark chocolate, spiced pear and warm vanilla. Finish: A comforting warm, smooth finish with the return of gentle oak, honeyed apples and pears.”

Tasting Profile

Nose
Golden honey. Sweet, floral honeyed apple leads, with mellow wood and warm caramel.

Palate
Creamy butterscotch and crème brûlée, with roasted nuts, dark chocolate, spiced pear, and warm vanilla, with a velvety texture.

Finish
Warm and smooth, with the return of gentle oak, honeyed apples, and pears.

Quick Overview

Food Pairings

• Dark chocolate
• Crème brûlée and butterscotch desserts
• Roasted nuts
• Aged cheese

Serving Note

Best enjoyed neat in a tulip-shaped glass, with time to open in the glass.