This is a travel retail edition of the Bushmills 21 Year Old, which comes at a higher strength of 46% and adds an extra finish.
The spirit ages in signature bourbon barrels and Oloroso sherry casks for around 18 years and then goes into first-fill Marsala wine barrels. The regular version is Madeira-finished, if I’m not mistaken.
Bushmills 21 yo ‘Three Wood’ (46%, OB +/- 2023, Marsala finish, travel retail)
Nose: rich, with a good dose of brown sugar, gently toasted oak and very light hints of wine. After a few moments it moves towards cherry jam. Then it becomes more tropical, showing pineapples, peaches and ripe mango. Hints of vanilla, marzipan and honey in the background. Subtle minty notes as well. Good start.
Mouth: again there’s an unmistakable winey note (clove, chocolate, leather) but also black cherry notes and blackberry jam. Red wine gums. Later also caramelized walnuts, with hints of black tea, as well as a return of the mango and honey. Toffee, hazelnuts and some active wood appear late. Even a drop of coffee.
Finish: quite long, on chocolate, candied ginger and warming toasted oak.
I would have loved a slightly more dialed-down Marsala note, but then again I assume they wanted to make a statement. In the end there’s a lot of extra richness and it’s good to see the trademark fruitiness hasn’t been swallowed entirely. I got a sample from Whiskysite.nl where they also have full bottles at a good price.