Bushmills unveils Peaky Blinders whiskey

Irish brand Bushmills has partnered with the company behind British drama Peaky Blinders to create a limited edition whiskey ahead of the debut of the show’s final series.

The new Bushmills Prohibition Recipe Irish Whiskey has been unveiled ahead of the ‘highly anticipated’ sixth and final series of Peaky Blinders, which will debut on 10 June.

The new whiskey is the result of a collaboration between Bushmills, Endemol Shine North America, which holds the global licensing rights to the show, and Caryn Mandabach Productions, producer and brand owner of Peaky Blinders.

The new product pays tribute to the infamous leader of the Peaky Blinders gang, Tommy Shelby and his family. The expression is said to transport drinkers back to the Shelby’s Garrison pub from a century ago.

The whiskey is said to deliver a ‘Shelby-style punch with bold, intense flavours’.

Created by Bushmills master distiller, Colum Egan, the expression reflects distilling practices that were used in the earlier days of whiskey making.

Bottled at 46% ABV, Bushmills Prohibition Recipe is non-chill-filtered and aged in ex-Bourbon casks. For added complexity, Egan separately aged the stock for three, four and five years before blending together to create a liquid with flavours of rye bread, orange marmalade, almonds, and cinnamon, with a long finish of zesty citrus oils and vanilla bean.

“With this new release, we celebrate Bushmills’ long history and the continued ageing of whiskey during Prohibition,” said Egan.

“As the world’s oldest licensed whiskey distillery and one of only a handful of distilleries to survive the 13 long years that preceded repeal day, this whiskey represents uncompromised quality and perseverance in the face of adversity – a story that is shared by both Bushmills and the Peaky Blinders.”

The bottle, a recreation of the vintage Bushmills bottle used as a prop within several Peaky Blinders episodes, features design elements inspired by the 1920s such as a visible cork lid and blue-tinted glass.

The label showcases the emblems for the Shelby family emblem and Bushmills distillery, which are positioned above a sketch of the family matriarch. The back label features a quote from the show, ‘whiskey is good proofing water, it tells you who’s real and who isn’t’.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to have entered into such a fitting partnership between our show, Peaky Blinders and Bushmills,” said Caryn Mandabach. “We are delighted the US fans can toast the launch of this historic, final season on Netflix with this limited edition partnership whiskey. In typical Shelby fashion, Tommy is making his mark on the whiskey industry.”

Bushmills Prohibition Recipe Irish Whiskey is currently available from Reserve Bar, and in wine and spirits retailers across the US for RRP US$29.99.

The launch will be supported by a national advertising campaign, co-branded retail suite, an influencer campaign and Garrison-inspired pop-up events.

Bushmills is not the only company to create a whiskey inspired by Peaky Blinders. In 2017, Halewood Artisanal Spirits released a range of spirits inspired by the gangster drama and opened a £1m Peaky Blinder distillery in Birmingham in December 2020.