About Bushmills 28 Year Old Single Malt Cognac Cask Whiskey The oldest historical records tell us that whiskey originated along the north coast of Ireland. Whiskey has been made there for over 1,000 years, a craft passed down by generations of Irish inhabitants. Sir Thomas Phillips got his license to distill on those lands in 1608, making it the oldest licensed distillery in the world. A lot of whiskey was produced there — even before the governor of Bushmills, Sir Thomas Phillips, was granted the license to distill there in 1608. After all, Hugh Anderson was doing it in 1784, registering the very first trademark on a pot still. “Single malt” means that a whiskey has been made at a “single” distillery and uses only “malted” barley in its recipe. Single malt whiskeys are considered the best because of the malted barley. Even centuries ago, malted barley was believed to be the finest grain for making whiskey. Whiskey was only made with barley until the 1800s, when the King of England imposed a tax on it. At that moment, most distilleries switched to corn, a cheaper ingredient, to make their whiskey. Most Irish whiskeys rely only on low-cost corn to make their whiskey to this day. But not Bushmills. Only Bushmills maintained this connection to whiskey’s origin. A storied distillery steeped in history, Bushmills didn’t make it this far by staying the same. Weathering conflict, fire, and famine, Bushmills has emerged from each trial with a newfound strength and commitment to their cause. Bushmills has always stood its ground in the face of adversary, natural, and economic distaster, rising from the ashes ever stronger. Today, Bushmills remains an icon of Irish Whiskey. Spearheading Bushmills’ new “The Rare Casks” series is the Bushmills 28 Year Old Single Malt Cognac Whiskey, one that takes us on a journey through the illustrious career of Master Blender Helen Mulholland. One of the very first batches she worked on, she has kept a watchful eye over it ever since the spirit was distilled in 1992. Built on their unpeated single malt, this expression was first aged for 11 years in Oloroso sherry casks before being transferred to meticulously-sourced ultra-rare Cognac casks for another 17 years. Complex, rich, deep, and nuanced, this rare Irish whiskey was bottled on July 7th, 2020 at 93.4 proof. Grab this strictly-limited Irish gem today! About Bushmills In the words of Master Distiller Colum Egan, the world’s oldest licensed whiskey is not good because it’s old, but rather it’s the other way around. Granted the royal license to distill in 1608, Bushmills is located in the village of Bushmills on the north coast of Ireland. Embedded in the lives of the locals who work side by side in this legendary distillery, the water is sourced from the River Bush that flows through the village. More than 400 years later, Bushmills is still delighting its loyal fans with new offerings. The distillery weathered everything from a disastrous fire, the Prohibition and devastating grain taxes because of its uncompromising commitment to quality – even when other Irish whiskeys were forever changed due to a tax on barley, this legendary distillery continued distilling single malt whiskey in the traditional way, never substituting barley for corn or other inferior grains. Among its endless accolades, the distillery boasts the only Gold Medal for whiskey ever to be awarded at the Paris 1889 Expo. Explore all Bushmills bottles >> About Irish Whiskey Contrary to popular belief that Scots invented whisk(e)y, Irish whiskey was mentioned almost a century before its Scottish brother. Its origin comes from the perfume distilling monks who decided to tweak the recipe a bit, creating Irish whiskey. Irish whiskey doesn’t have a lot of rules and regulations to be considered “pure” and can be made with various grains and processes, as long as it is aged for at least three years in wooden casks and has a max ABV of 94.8%. If you’d like to check out our impressive selection of “Uisce Beatha,” find your new favorite in the Best reviewed Irish whiskeys, and explore our treasury of rare & hard to find Irish whiskeys. Read More It’s a complex, rich, and deep expression with citrus, almond, roasted caramel, prunes, baking spices, and plenty of wood on the nose. The palate continues with dried apricot, orange marmalade, and roasted almonds. Finishes slightly warming with hints of cinnamon and vanilla.