This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
News
Bushmills adds 26YO to Prestige Collection
Irish whiskey producer Bushmills has added its ‘most innovative expression yet’ to its luxury Prestige Single Malt Collection.
The 26 Year Old Crystal Malt has been produced using crystal malt barley, which sees the barley undergo an ‘unusual and special’ malting process in which the sugars within the grain of the whiskey are crystallised. This process is said to have imparted ‘intense’ caramel and creamy chocolate flavours into the new-make spirit, which remained throughout the decades subsequently spent in oak.
Bushmills’ master blender, Alex Thomas, said: “I am so honoured to manage and supervise the ageing of all our single malts, but releasing this special expression – one I’ve cared for throughout my entire career here – is truly a dream come true. Our 26 Year Old Crystal Malt epitomises Bushmills’ commitment to restless progress and our dedication to crafting exceptional single malts for whiskey lovers worldwide.”
Bushmills was the first Irish whiskey brand to distil crystal malt back in 1997, which was part of a ‘daring experiment’ that celebrated the distillery’s 400th anniversary. Since then, the liquid has rested at the Old Bushmills Distillery warehouse in first-fill Bourbon barrels, sourced from the Kelvin Cooperage in Louisville, Kentucky.
Bushmills 26 Year Old Crystal Malt whiskey offers sweet floral honeyed apples that mingle with mellow wood and warm caramel on the nose, while the palate unveils creamy butterscotch, evolving into layers of crème brûlée, roasted nuts, dark chocolate, spiced pear, and warm vanilla.
The signature Bushmills fruity complexity is enriched by chocolate and caramel notes from the crystal malt, enhanced further by the 26-year maturation.
Thomas added: “I love how beautifully light this whiskey is; it might look delicate and subtle, but don’t be deceived – it’s bursting with flavour. Succulent, deep, and complex notes overflow on the palate. Light in colour, but luscious in flavour.”
The 26-year-old joins the 25-, 30-, and 31-year-old single malts in the Prestige Collection.
It is bottled at 46% ABV and priced at £850 (US$1,075) for 700ml.
It will be available from the end of this year at the Bushmills Distillery, from shop.bushmills.com for UK and Ireland consumers, in key global travel retail hubs, and in retailers across Ireland and other key global markets from the first quarter of 2025.
To celebrate the Prestige Collection and this new release, Bushmills has unveiled an immersive brand experience honouring Irish culture and craftsmanship, in collaboration with award-winning contemporary artist Colin Davidson.
The Living Legends Lounge experience offers in-depth brand education, exclusive product tastings, and insights into the distillery’s rich history, designed to engage and inspire whiskey enthusiasts worldwide. It can be experienced at www.thelivinglegendslounge.com.
Last year Bushmills released its oldest expression to date: a 44-year-old single malt.
Related news
Proximo: premiumisation a 'little too aggressive' during Covid