Black Bush versus Black Bush 80/20 PX Sherry Cask Reserve
Bushmills Black Bush 40% abv. 80% malt / 20% grain $34/£24.50/€29 Roughly 8 years old, majority sherry cask matured Nose : Foam banana sweets and ripe bananas. Tinned pineapple rings, peach, honeydew melon and fruit salad sweets. Malt, honey, cinnamon and some raisin. Brown sugar. It tastes a little artificially sweet. Palate: A sweet arrival with caramel, brown sugar, banana and melon followed by cinnamon and nutmeg. Now a sour note – like wet cardboard. Now vanilla. The mouthfeel is thin. Towards the end is a touch of milk chocolate and raisin. Finish : Short with vanilla custard, fruit and nut chocolate and a bitter/sharp finish Score : 4 out of 10 Overall : Better than the original white label but not by much anymore. A pale comparison to what it used to be. Black Bush 80/20 PX Reserve 46% abv. $28.50/£22.25/€27 Malt component is finished in PX sherry casks Nose : Banana’s again – both foam and...
