A RARE bottle of Irish whiskey which has been maturing for 33 years will go on sale exclusively in Britain next week.
Bushmills Irish Whiskey will release their 33 Year Old Port Cask on March 1 – but it will only be available to customers at World Duty-Free stores at Heathrow Airport.
It is the tenth and final expression from the Co. Antrim based whiskey makers’ current Bushmills Causeway Collection.
“This is the oldest expression ever released from The Old Bushmills Distillery - the world’s oldest licensed whiskey distillery,” the firm states.
“Only 690 bottles of the cask finished, cask strength (53.3% ABV), non chill-filtered Irish single malt will be available,” they added.
The highly anticipated release, created by Bushmills Master Blender Alex Thomas will cost whiskey fans £1,245.
“Filled on April 19, 1989, this rare bottling has spent an incredible 33 years patiently maturing in fortified wine casks from northern Portugal,” a Bushmills spokesperson explained.
“Alex Thomas, Bushmills Master Blender, has expertly watched over this malt as it’s been imbued with luscious dark fruit flavours, like blackcurrants and blackberries.
“It’s a sensational whiskey that stands with the best of Irish single malt, a giant in its own right.”
The 33-year-old whiskey will be available from March 1Paul Martin, Dufry Category Manager for Liquor in the UK, said, “We are really excited to be able to offer to our customers at Heathrow Airport such a rare and highly sought after product.
“We know that in travel retail customers are always looking for something a bit different or unique and this most definitely ticks that box. We expect it to be a great success.”
Bushmills’ ground-breaking Causeway Collection is a unique selection of cask-finished and fully matured Irish single malt whiskeys.
The current collection, the first from Ms Thomas, features 10 blends across seven global markets, namely Travel Retail, Ireland, the UK, France, Germany, Australia and Poland.
A stone’s throw from the distillery, the Giant’s Causeway has been a source of inspiration for generations of Bushmills’ Master Blenders, the firm claims.
“Like the columns of basalt rock, The Causeway Collection is forged in sea air and mineral-rich water - it is the legacy of giants before and giants to come, with each layer building on the last,” they add.
Ms Thomas said: “It is truly a privilege to work with such rare whiskeys in The Causeway Collection. They are the fruits of over 400 years of Bushmills whiskey-making tradition, each expertly created and nurtured over decades.”
She added: “The Causeway Collection is a celebration of our passion for single malts, and these special whiskeys are our greatest treasures.
“At Bushmills, we continue to innovate and create new expressions to excite the whiskey community.
“We are proud to build on the growing legacy of The Causeway Collection and excited to share our 33 Year Old Port Cask with whiskey fans travelling through Heathrow from all corners of the globe.”
