Bushmills Just Released the Oldest, Rarest Whiskey It Has Ever Sold in Europe — and Just 208 Bottles Exist
Bushmills unveiled a 36-year-old Irish Whiskey that was the oldest the brand had released in Europe.
On Thursday, The Irish News reported that Bushmills unveiled a limited-release single malt with a 36-year-old age statement, and just 208 bottles are available. Bushmills Hill Street Edition is the oldest whiskey that Bushmills — the oldest licensed whiskey distillery in the world — has ever be released in Europe. It hosts a suggested retail price of £5,000 ($6,311).
Per The Irish News, the whiskey was distilled in 1986 and re-casked in a sherry hogshead in March 2001. The brand’s master distiller, Alex Thomas, claims the extending aging time provides the spirit with a “rich golden chestnut color.”
Bushmills has experimented with distinctive finishing casks in the past and in December released a series of Irish single malts for its Private Reserve Series. The whiskeys were finished in a plethora of casks, which ranged from tequila barrels to Alsatian plum brandy casks.
The 36-year-old whiskey was made exclusively for a whiskey shop in Belfast called The Friend at Hand and is available exclusively at the retailer.
“We are proud to partner with Bushmills on this exceptional, 36-year-old whiskey, which pays homage to the hard-working people of Hill Street,” the shop’s owner, Willie Jack, said, according to The Drinks Business. “It’s fitting that our shared heritage and spirit of collaboration are commemorated in this special release, which, with just 208 bottles available is sure to be in high demand.”
Bushmills Hill Street Edition is housed in a black American walnut box, and the packaging depicts a gold-etched map of Belfast.
Belfast and Bushmills have a longstanding relationship, as the brand was initially headquartered there. Bushmills’ Belfast headquarters were destroyed during the German blitzkrieg of World War II.
Bushmills claims that remnants of its old office are still visible within the Cathedral Quarter.
“It is my privilege to bring this exceptional whiskey back to Belfast, to the site of Bushmills’ former headquarters on Hill Street, in what is a milestone moment for the brand,” Bushmills Master Blender Alex Thomas said, according to the Belfast Telegraph.
Thomas went on to describe the whiskey’s tasting notes and claimed it possessed a smoothness, with caramelized fruit aromas and honey.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime whiskey,” Thomas concluded.
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