The Whisky Cask Company is a group of whisky enthusiasts from Bern, Switzerland who started an independent bottling company in 2015. They’ve had some interesting Burnside releases for instance, but also a series of undisclosed Bushmills whiskey, the ones we’ve come to love so much.
Their latest Irish whiskey was a 30 years old single malt 1989 matured in a rum barrel.
Irish Single Malt 30 yo 1989 ‘The Ash Tree’ (48,1%, The Whisky Cask Company 2020, rum barrel #16044 / 16258, 276 btl.)
Nose: oh so fruity. Full of juicy pineapples, maracuyas, bananas, kiwis and apricots. Hints of vanilla and tinned fruit syrup, as well as lovely marzipan. Biscuits. Lightly toasted oak. Slight waxy notes and a green, minty touch (maybe chlorphyll) to add freshness.
Mouth: starts on those greener notes (green tea) before we get the fruit avalanche. It’s slightly sweeter than others, with more marzipan, custard and the creamy fruits like bananas, lychees and mango. A little honey too. That means slightly less pink grapefruit and passion fruits which often make it even brighter. We’re nitpicking. Oak spice sets in mid-palate (nutmeg, pepper) with this typical rummy note and some fragrant ethereal oils towards the end.
Finish: not too long, but still very fruity and candied. Bananas, sweet grassy notes, oak spice and a hint of coconut.
The rummy pastry sweetness is a great companion for this fruity Bushmills spirit. Among the best of these 1989 Irish single malts, I really need to track down some of their other bottlings. Many thanks for thiis sample, Peter.