Bushmills creates Of Monsters and Men whiskey

Diageo’s Irish whiskey brand Bushmills has created a bespoke blend for Icelandic band Of Monsters and Men, which headlined its Bushmills Live festival last month.

Colum Egan and master blender Helen Mulholland with two of the Of Monsters and Men band

Master distiller Colum Egan has developed just six bottles of the signature blend – one for each member of the band and one that will stay at the Old Bushmills Distillery for their next visit.

“Like Of Monsters and Men, the Old Bushmills Distillery prides itself in handcraftsmanship”, said Egan. “The Icelandic band’s craft is music and Bushmills’ is whiskey. The creation of the new liquid recognises the centuries-old qualities of making things by hand.”

The 23-yearold whiskey is a blend of liquid aged in Sherry and Bourbon barrels laid down in 1987, 1989 and 1990 – the years the band members were born.

“Age is really important when making a great whiskey,” Egan added. “Over time the wood influences the liquid resting inside it and creates amazing flavours that we use to make great whiskey. We wanted to use this theme of age to celebrate Of Monsters and Men as the headliners of Bushmills Live 2013.”

Of Monsters and Men headlined Bushmills Live on 19-20 June 2013, which also featured performances from Jake Bugg, Willy Mason, Sons and Lovers, Bear’s Den, Foy Vance, Iain Archer and emerging artists David C Clements and VerseChorusVerse.