Bushmills Original versus Prohibition Recipe Blended Irish Whiskey Review

Chill Filtration – whisky below 46% abv can go cloudy when chilled or when an ice cube is added, the dreaded ‘Scotch mist’, and a lot of producers don’t like this effect, because to the casual consumer it may look like there is something wrong with their product, when in fact it is just a natural phenomenon where the fatty acids and oils coagulate in the low temperature making the spirit cloudy.

To negate this problem a lot of producers subject their whiskey to chill filtration before bottling. They chill the whiskey quickly anywhere between -10c (14f) and 4c (39f) and they push the liquid through a fine filter. All the coagulate fatty acids are caught and filtered out leaving a clearer liquid.

Critics of the practice argue that by removing these oils and fats you remove not only texture in the mouthfeel but also flavour.

Today we run a little experiment with two Bushmills whiskies. The Original blend that is presented at 40% abv, is chill filtered and almost certainly contains e150 caramel colouring. The Prohibition Recipe is a supposedly limited edition tie in to The Peaky Blinders but is presented more naturally - 46% abv, non chill filtered and by the looks of it with no additional colouring.

Let's Taste!

Bushmills Original 40% abv C/CF $23.99/£17.80/E20.50

50/50 blend of Bushmills malt and a grain from Midleton. Bourbon & sherry maturation. Around 5 years old.

Nose: The grain spirit component hits a little hard – florists shop, pear and lemon floor cleaner. There is banana, honey dew melon, vanilla and a light hint of hazelnut.

Palate: A thin mouthfeel and a little spice on arrival. That floral note from the nose is followed by pepper, oak and youthful alcohol. Eventually a little bit of vanilla and apple.

Finish: Short and a little astringent. Tart citrus along with apples and pears.

Score: 3 out of 10

Bushmills Prohibition Recipe 46% abv NC/NCF normally $28.99 but bought on offer at $23.99.

Same ratio of blend but fully bourbon cask matured and naturally presented.

Nose: Crème brulee, ripe banana, honey, flapjacks and ripe red apples. Some marshmallow too with nutmeg and clementine.

Palate: A better mouthfeel with a sweet arrival – candyfloss, foam banana sweets, peach and vanilla sponge. Pepper and cinnamon spice along with caramel, oak and more clementines.

Finish: Still short but with apple pie and vanilla custard plus warming spices.

Score: 5 out of 10

Overall: Starting with the Original – like the standard Jameson it’s not the greatest introduction to Irish whiskey although I would say the Jameson is a little less rough around the edges, but neither will excite.

But what a difference natural presentation makes to the Prohibition recipe. The extra abv and the non chill filtration just allow so much extra flavour to come through and also weirdly make it feel a more rounded blend. The malt seems more proactive than the grain component. For the extra $4 this will definitely be purchased again instead of the Original.

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