Bushmills’ $1,000 26 Year Old Crystal Malt Is Landing in U.S. — and We Tasted It

(Photo: Bushmills)

On Wednesday, Bushmills Irish Whiskey announced it’s bringing its 26 Year Old Crystal Malt in the United States, following its release in the United Kingdom and European Union last year.

The single malt was distilled on Nov. 20, 1997, and aged for 26 years in first-fill bourbon barrels sourced from Kelvin Cooperage in Kentucky. Bottled at 46% ABV, the whiskey is made from crystal malt, an unusual barley processed to crystallize sugars during kilning.

Bushmills claims the method intensifies caramel and chocolate notes before maturation. The distillery’s own notes highlight caramel, chocolate, oak and vanilla.

We tasted the whiskey ahead of  its U.S. release. Find our full review here. On the nose, we found caramelized brown sugar, prunes, figs, honey, apple, kiwi and charred mango, with a bready undertone. The palate delivers spiced oak, tannin, cinnamon, gingerbread and tobacco, followed by flashes of kiwi, apple and grapefruit before returning to leather and French bread. The finish proved long and evolving — beginning with buttered rolls, moving to kiwi and white peach, and finally settling into tobacco, tannin, cracked pepper and red apple.

The whiskey showcased exceptional balance between light fruit and darker oak-driven flavors. Its structure, length and complexity placed it among the standout aged single malts we’ve tried this year.

The release is limited to select U.S. markets and carries a suggested retail price of $1,000. It recently earned a Double Gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

Bushmills, which holds the world’s oldest whiskey distilling license granted in 1608, has been producing whiskey for more than 400 years. The distillery said the 26 Year Old Crystal Malt highlights its stock of aged single malt with distinctive malt profiles and cask finishes.