Whiskey Review: Bushmills Black Bush Irish Whiskey

Introduction

Today, we’re wrapping up our Bushmills trilogy with Bushmills Black Bush. A couple of years ago, Bob bought a bottle of Bushmills during the holidays, and it came with two 50ml samples of Red Bush and Black Bush. So we got to try all three for the price of one.

We really loved the Red Bush, which was aged exclusively in bourbon barrels. Now we’re on to Black Bush, which is all sherry-cask-aged Irish whiskey. It’s 80 proof, triple-distilled, and aged at least three years, just like the others in the lineup.

Given how meh we found the standard Bushmills and how fantastic Red Bush was, we’re curious where Black Bush will land. Will it bring balance to the force, or will it be the one dragging down the lineup?

The following review is taken from our episode "Lawrence of Arabia / Bushmills Black Bush." Click the link to listen to this review in audio format.

Nose

Brad:
This comes across extremely malty. I get a little bit of honey, some stone fruit—kind of like cherry—and a little vanilla on the back end. I think I’d give it a 7.5/10 on the nose. It’s solid.

Bob:
I do like this quite a bit. There's a darker character here than I expected. Very malty, but on the back end, where you got vanilla, I’m getting some brown sugar. There’s almost just a wisp of bourboniness to this—which is obviously not right, but it's there for me. The sherry influence? Not so much. More like a darker red grape than a classic sherry. I get now why they called it Black Bush. It definitely has that darker complexion.
Score: 7.5/10

Taste

Brad:
When I got into the palate, there’s some soft vanilla and honey that come through, but it’s really malt-forward. Toward the back end, I got some nutty toffee notes, almost like a caramelized almond or peanut. It’s interesting, but it falls off a bit from the nose.
Score: 7/10

Bob:
I took a sip as you were talking, and as you named each flavor, it was like you were narrating my experience in real time. It’s really malty on the palate, with some prickliness to it. It has the bitterness of a peated scotch without the smoke. I don’t know how else to explain it, but when it turns bitter, it’s like a really peaty scotch. Then, as I swallowed, I got this little bit of caramel corn right when you said caramelized—it’s weird but good. I like it, but it’s not blowing me away.
Score: 7/10

Finish

Brad:
It slightly sours on the back end. The maltiness just gets to be too much. There’s a nice faint honey aftertaste that lingers, which I enjoy, but the finish comes down a bit for me.
Score: 6.5/10

Bob:
Yeah, on my second sip, I actually got that sourness right on the tip of my tongue. Then as I swallowed, I got almost like a graham cracker thing going on. It’s interesting—maybe not complex—but there are definitely notes here I didn’t expect to be there. The finish is pretty nice overall.
Score: 7/10

Balance

Brad:
Balance-wise, I think it’s a 7/10. There’s nothing crazy or complex, but enough going on that I can see what they’re doing.

Bob:
I’m going to give it a 7.5/10. For what this costs, it’s more interesting than regular Bushmills, and I feel like I should reward it for that.

Value

Bob:
All right, let’s talk value. I don’t have the price pulled up, Brad—what’s this running in Ohio?

Brad:
$32.99.

Bob:
Wait, what? Red Bush was only $22. That makes no sense. Maybe bourbon barrels are just cheaper?

Brad:
Who knows? But yeah, at $33, that changes things a bit for me.

Bob:
Yeah, I was expecting this to be way cheaper. That makes me rethink my value score.

Brad:
I’m going 6/10 on value. It’s a decent Irish offering, but it doesn’t do enough in any one area to make it stand out. I’d buy Sexton over this any day.

Bob:
I’m also giving it a 6/10. It drinks more like a scotch than an Irish, which is cool, but at $32, I just can’t justify recommending it over other options. This brings me to a 35/50, which is technically our threshold for ‘consider a pour at the bar or maybe a bottle.’ Honestly, I think I like it a little more than the score reflects, but that value score drags it down.

Final Scores

Brad:
I’m at a 34/50. So very close to you, Bob. I’m a ‘no recommend’ here. With Red Bush $10 cheaper, that’s the easy pick.

Bob:
Agreed. We're landing at 34.5/50, or 69/100 overall. Nice. I wouldn’t recommend buying a bottle, but if someone offered you a pour, it’s a good whiskey. The problem is it lives in this awkward price point where I’d probably just suggest a cheaper scotch instead.

Brad:
I don't know many whiskeys I’d turn down if someone offered me a pour—but yeah, if they offered me Canadian Mist, I might say no.

Conclusion

With a combined score of 34.5/50, Bushmills Black Bush hovers just under our 35/50 benchmark for recommending a pour or purchase. For us, 40/50 is great, 45/50 is excellent. Black Bush brings a scotch-like darkness to Irish whiskey, but at $32.99, we’d steer you toward Red Bush or other better-value Irish whiskeys first. It’s a good whiskey—but not quite enough to justify the spend.