For over 4 centuries, Bushmills has been a cornerstone of Irish whiskey craftsmanship. Its newest launch, the Bushmills 46-Yr-Previous ‘Secrets and techniques of The River Bush’, marks a historic milestone – the oldest Irish single malt ever launched. Matured in Oloroso sherry butts from Jerez, Spain, and restricted to simply 300 bottles worldwide, this ultra-prestige single malt embodies the facility of time, custom and the pure affect of the River Bush, which has formed the character of Bushmills whiskey since 1608.
On the helm of this extraordinary launch is Grasp Blender Alex Thomas, who has spent over 20 years refining her craft on the distillery she dreamed of working in as a toddler. Born simply quarter-hour from Bushmills, her background in timber ignited a lifelong fascination with wooden and maturation. Right now, she leads the event of Bushmills’ portfolio of premium single malts, fastidiously balancing innovation with heritage. With ‘Secrets and techniques of The River Bush’, Alex continues to carve her place in Irish whiskey’s evolving story – honouring the previous whereas shaping the long run.
Right here, she speaks to us about her journey, her function at Bushmills, and the extraordinary story behind ‘Secrets and techniques of The River Bush’.
You have been born simply quarter-hour from Bushmills Distillery and joined the workforce 20 years in the past. What did it imply personally so that you can step into the function of Grasp Blender at such a historic website?
Actually, I nonetheless can’t imagine it, and that’s the reality. I really feel extremely lucky and actually honoured to be trusted with this function. It’s a duty I don’t take evenly, carrying the legacy of those that got here earlier than me into the long run. I’ve been given the data and steerage from former grasp blenders and plenty of others who believed in me and taught me the whole lot I wanted to know. I owe them an enormous thanks. Being right here with you right now and speaking in regards to the subsequent chapter for Bushmills is an actual privilege.
In your early profession, you labored in timber. How did that background form your understanding of the whiskey-making course of?
That was the beginning of my love affair with wooden. I realized about all the different sorts and the way they have been minimize – particularly how quarter-sawing created these straight grains important for cask power and flavour extraction. That craftsmanship taught me how a cask is constructed, why construction issues, and the way these parts affect maturation. That hands-on data set the muse for my understanding of how wooden interacts with spirit. It’s the place my ardour for maturation actually started. Seeing the transformation that occurs contained in the cask nonetheless excites me day-after-day.
What fascinates you most in regards to the interplay between spirit, wooden and time?
It’s the infinite potentialities. You would take two casks stuffed with the identical spirit on the identical day, place them in numerous components of the warehouse, and find yourself with two utterly totally different whiskeys. The DNA is identical, however with slight variations – the thickness of the wooden, how a lot bourbon was soaked in beforehand, and temperature fluctuations – all of them affect how the spirit matures. Maturation is stuffed with freedom. The distillery creates the identical spirit day-after-day, however as soon as it goes into wooden, something can occur. You keep consistency in your core vary, however you additionally get to discover and innovate. That’s what I really like.
As caretaker of the casks, how do you steadiness custom with innovation at Bushmills?
It’s not at all times straightforward. You need to push boundaries and produce new whiskeys into the world – to carry extra folks into the class – however you additionally need to respect the method that made Bushmills what it’s. We’ve stayed true to our conventional strategies, and that historical past is extremely vital. I’m naturally impatient in life, however whiskey teaches you endurance. Round 75–80% of my time is spent defending the DNA of our core vary. However I additionally get to place my very own mark on new releases – just like the Vermouth cask, which had by no means been used earlier than. It’s about evolving whereas honouring what Irish whiskey is at its coronary heart.
You helped launch the oldest Irish single malt whiskey ever – the 46-Yr-Previous. How does that replicate your journey and what does it imply for Bushmills?
I’ve been within the whiskey world lower than half the lifetime of that whiskey, so it’s humbling. After I style it, I consider the generations earlier than me who made it attainable – who laid it down with hope and care throughout a tough time for Irish whiskey. It’s a means of claiming thanks to them. They didn’t know what that cask would turn into, however they believed in a greater future. I’m fulfilling their dream. That’s probably the most rewarding half. We by no means imagined we’d launch a 46-year-old whiskey – it wasn’t the plan, however it grew to become the story.
Inform us extra in regards to the period when this whiskey was first distilled.
The whiskey dates again to 1970, a very robust time in Irish whiskey historical past. Distilleries have been closing throughout us. The Comber Distillery shut, and solely two remained in Eire. Those that labored right here then had no thought what the long run held. But, they held on to their desires and keenness. Via prohibition, world wars and hardship, they remained dedicated – and thank goodness they did.
What are you able to share in regards to the maturation and the 2 casks concerned?
The whiskey was laid down in oloroso sherry butts sourced from the Antonio Páez Lobato household in Jerez – we’ve labored with them for over 70 years. These two casks have been crammed on the identical day, in the identical means. They spent their lives facet by facet in considered one of our conventional warehouses. Over time, they developed such a hanging concord that we couldn’t separate them. It felt solely proper to marry them collectively to create one thing actually distinctive.
What does this whiskey characterize to you personally?
I joined Bushmills over 20 years in the past and labored alongside our unbelievable Grasp Blender, Helen Mulholland. She recognised early on that these casks have been particular. We cared for them, nurtured them, and monitored their improvement over many years. For me, they’re like twin brothers – inseparable, completely balanced, and stuffed with shared character. It’s an enormous privilege to be a part of this second.
What’s the flavour profile like?
The flavour profile is beautiful. You’ll discover wealthy, ripe darkish fruits, candy apricot, heat caramel and fragrant spices like cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. There’s a wave of darkish cherries, sun-dried raisins and baked pear – all balanced fantastically by aged oak. Regardless of being 46.3%, it’s extremely easy. You’d by no means guess its power from the delicacy of the flavours. The end is lengthy, elegant and deeply satisfying.
The color is extraordinary. What’s behind that?
It’s virtually black, with a red-blue hue when held to the sunshine. That color comes naturally from 46 years in European oak casks – no components. The wooden, the sherry, the spirit, and the time have labored collectively to create one thing extraordinary.
The identify “The Secrets and techniques of Bushmills: River, Oak & Time” is symbolic. Are you able to share the story behind it?
The River Bush has at all times been a part of Bushmills – it flows proper beneath the distillery and provides our whiskey its distinctive mineral character. The world was initially known as Portcaman, and as business grew, Bushmills obtained its identify from the mills that sprang up alongside the riverbanks. The water flows over basalt rock just like the Large’s Causeway, and that minerality is central to our DNA. It’s greater than only a identify – it’s a hyperlink to the land, the folks, and the previous. My grandfather used to say Bushmills cured the whole lot – it’s that sense of medicinal, elemental connection that actually brings it full circle for me.
What does this launch imply for Bushmills and Irish whiskey as an entire?
It’s a pinnacle second. This whiskey has watched over each milestone of our journey – the discharge of our 10, 16, and 21-year-olds, the Causeway Assortment, the Non-public Reserve. And now, as Irish whiskey is as soon as once more flourishing globally, this launch represents a legacy fulfilled. It’s a chunk of residing historical past, each for Bushmills and for Irish whiskey.
What number of bottles can be found, and what’s the fee?
Simply 300 bottles exist on this planet – 100 of these will go to the USA. As you’d anticipate, it is a uncommon collector’s merchandise. If somebody wished to purchase a bottle, they’d be round $15,000. It’s a major funding, however for what it represents, it’s incomparable.
When you needed to describe this whiskey in three phrases, what would they be?
Timeless. Harmonious. Grateful.
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