Bushmills The Rare Casks 29 Year Pedro Ximenez Cask Single Malt

Loaded with PX sweetness while also maintaining the classic tropical fruit flavor profile of old Irish whiskies. Nose: Raisins, Root Beer, Dark Chocolate, Cherry Cola, Toffee, Passion Fruit, Dates, Figs, Pineapples, Mangoes, Mocha, Grapefruit, Apricots, Makuna Honey, Peaches Palate: Dates, Prunes, Toffee, Apricots, Raisins, Dark Chocolate, Molasses, Toasted Oak, Leather, Morello Cherries, Raspberries, Watermelons, Treacle, Cola, Blackberries, Cloves Finish: Mangoes, Raspberries, Luxardo Cherries, Figs, Dates, Vanilla, Honey, Toffee, Milk Chocolate, White Chocolate, Sweet Plantains, Prunes, Violets, Lavender, Cinnamon, Nutmeg

NOSE SHERRY, dried dark fruit, printer’s ink, leather, chocolate, roasted malt, copper, oak, and some marmalade sweetness. Depth… this has a ton of depth and with each sniff, I get a nuanced new note of something new. Baking spice, fig, dates, brown sugar and on and on. It’s lovely. PALATE Pull all the notes from the aroma over and add a bit more ink, copper, oak, and a bit of tart cherries to it and you end up with a darker, yet fuller, version of the aroma. And it’s just a delight to sip. FINISH Long -> Dried dark fruit, leather, pastries, oak, copper, baking spice, and blackberries.

Gotta say that I did not -love- this one like I loved the first Rare Cask installment. The nose and finish here are both exceptional. But my palate picked up a mint/menthol flavor that was distracting from everything else. I tried to like the combination but couldn’t. This would be needlessly nitpicky if this expression were, like, something you just found on the top shelf of an ordinary bar. Mint notes work in other whiskies. Just didn’t think it worked perfectly here. The 2020 rare cask remains probably the best Irish whiskey I’ve ever had.

Limited Release #2, 51.6%

Unjj k...o.