Cheers for the kind words Rob. Getting someone to literally "LOL" is the goal, or at least do that little exhale of air thing when something is slightly funny. Cheers
I would have guessed the Macallan 5 (Sorry, Jean) but didn't see Bushmill's coming. You know, we haven't reviewed any Bushmills. In fact, we haven't had a Bushmills in ages. Seems like we should refresh out memory and see what all the fuss or non-fuss is all about. Cheers to ya!
Could have guessed any Macallan or Diageo official bottlings, but you beat ...er.. slapper me with this one. Off radar for me in the first place, so guessing was useless. Slàinte mhath
If I could convince myself to get a Macallan I am very sure it would have a similar review to this! Sadly won't be wasting my money on it for review, fingers crossed for another competition! Cheers Peathead
Thanks Mike! I didn't really know much about it before I started getting this review together, shocked by the amount of fans it had! It certainly ain't one that will be sad to see the back off!
Love the edit from anchorman when the “high abv” caught you out there… I have a bushmills on my shelf… and it’s just for show I’ve not reached for it for probably over 2 years. I enjoy some Irish whiskies too but Bushmills just has something lacking. And can’t quite put my finger on it. Belter of a video ya legend as always 🥃🕺🏼
I often think when editing, will people actually find this funny or is it just me? But that was something that I was sure would be worth the time putting together. Look forward to chatting tomorrow night, bring on the Bushmills
My wife bought me a bottle of Bushmills (bless her), it does kinda work if you blend it up with a drop of a decent single malt. It makes the good stuff stretch out a bit further if you’re on a tight budget.
Sometimes the intentions is better than the whisky. I am forever grateful to my wife for the 1 Litre bottle of Johnnie Walker Explorer which she brought back from holiday for me... I should have tried your at home blending to improve it!
G'day Jeff, I've never been a massive fan of the Irish whiskey. That being said.... I have only one in the cupboard , and it's a Bushmills.... The Black Bush. it's my third one to date. For me... it's beaten the 10 yr and even the Redbreast. the others that come closest so far and within my budget are: Powers Gold, Teeling (single malt), and the Jameson(stout cask). Again ...loved the rweview mate. thanks, AL
Cheers Al! I have never tried Black Bush but have mixed things on it, enough so that it is on my shopping list. Think with your glowing review it may have to move higher up into my basket! Some good picks for budget Irish especially the Jameson Stout Cask.
I've got many high end whiskies. The other day I bought a bottle of JW Red. Had a glass with ice and it was great. Why am I spending all this money and listening to whisky gurus?
It is a shame so many cheaper whiskies get overlooked and premium stuff gets pushed so much by marketing teams. Think there is great whisky that can be found at any price point, enjoy your JW Red on ice! Cheers
Everyone’s palette is different. I can’t use JE Red even as a mixer but if you or anyone enjoys this expression then it’s wonderful! I’m happy when people are loving a dram neat or poured over ice for a lovely refreshing cocktail!! We are all different but that’s what makes watching UA-cam channels fun and reading the comments. I respect everyone’s tastes while they explore whisky and single malts. Cheers!
@@JeffWhisky i only really drink the 10 year old when it appears on offer. I am originally from scotland and find scotch is much better value. I will order older ones if im out fir dinner and not driving. I think im drawn to it from having been there and visit the area alot.
It's the whisky that got me into whisky. So I have fond memories of it, but there are many valid remarks to make and it can be so much better imo. Well done. The 16yo is better value for money but the 21 just has that little edge I like. Definitely batch variation dependent. Back in the day this was a 100 euro bottle, so going by your prices it has doubled?! Edit: props for the gaki no tsukai reference at 8:05 from (#0928 - Kiki - #23 Natto) 😆
Oh wow, you came in on your journey via a very fancy bottle, can you remember what followed from this? I can see 100 euros being much fairer for this, even if it is from a dud batch. Cheers for watching Tim and enjoying the quite obscure references!
@@JeffWhisky i think what followed back home (last dram of the vacation), was me getting a bottle of it and balvenie 12 and lagavulin 16. The latter needed a few turns for the palette to get used to it. To be fair redbreast 21 is even more expensive nowadays, which I also like so good shout on the 12 CS.
@@TimHoekstra Bushmills 21, Balvenie 12, and Lagavulin 16, think you had one of the best starts to any whisky journey! It pushes my Monkey Shoulder, Haig Club and Talisker 10 out of the water. I feel like the Redbreast 12 CS provides more than their later expressions, was underwhelmed by the 27 when tried it. Cheers Tim!
If you don't like it, you don't like it dude. Bushmills, when you get to their 'special bottlings' seem to crazy on the price. I think their Steamship collection where they're NAS and low abv but just matured in a particular cask is also way overpriced. Glad it was a gift and not a purchase though, that would've hurt!
It wasn't the plan. I had my phone next to me and just scrolled through Whiskey Exchange website listing out cheaper bottles! Hopefully my maths adds up!! Cheers
There’s not much I’ve tried to be honest that disappoints. There is one that stands out for me I ended up pouring away it was so bad but when I read the reviews it made me think maybe I just had a bad bottle as I suppose it happens, so I don’t want to say what that was 😀🥃 wasn’t Irish though , all I’ll say is a lowland !
oooh interesting, got me thinking what Lowland it could be? Yeah it is rare to feel real disappointed by a whiskey but this one certainly was a real let down. Cheers.
I think JE Blue is grossly overrated and I feel even more strongly that Bushmill’s 21 isn’t worth the cost, certainty not here in Vancouver, where alcohol is so expensive. I have bought 3 bottles of Bushmill’s 21 just to see if I find I missed what some ppl rave about but I won’t buy another. Right on that it’s only average at best. IMO after several bottles of JW Blue I feel the same. For these prices I can find outstanding single malt scotch or I’d choose Red Breast 21! That’s exceptional quality! Very stereo but not at all exceptional. I’d give 3 Christine’s at best. Your humour is interesting. Cheers!
@@JeffWhisky Yup I have to agree. I recently got to try JW Blue again after a long time away from it and I have to say I enjoyed it! No thanks to Bushmill's 21! We agree!! Have an awesome day!! 🙂
I guessed Bushmills because of the bottle shape and because I actually perceive the whisky like you without ever having tried it. The prices are very premium and I doubted if value can keep up. Alright I'm off, I'm gonna slap my bottles of Edradour natural cask strength and hope they also get bigger.
It is great that it has a unique look which you can guess by the shape, shows the marketing is doing well but shame the liquid inside doesn't hold up. Hope you are enjoying your 2 litre Edradour! Cheers!
@@JeffWhisky Well, I don't know many whiskies with such long and edgy designs and it was a bit more pronounced than JW so that was my guess. But yeah if the liquid can't hold up with the marketing, you're most likely gonna pay way more than you want and should.
That is really kind of you to compare me to Ben's great channel! I think he is taking a bit of a break following his wedding but certainly hope to see him back soon! Cheers!
I am aware that Bushmills puts out quite a few bottles for Travel Retail like a 33 year old Port release but thought that this one was part of their core range and readily available? I know lockdown meant lots of travel bottles went into shops which blurred the lines. Cheers for watching!
Yeah it really is. I love seeing what the natural cask strength when it gets to that age, helps add to the story. I am overal happy to enjoy the 40% bottles but feel like would fly at around the 46% mark. Cheers.
Phew that is good, as an expert on Irish whiskey I feared it may evoke the wrath of Big Al! Sure Redbreast 21 is a much better shout then this. Cheers buddy!
Yeah it is just crazy money, the rich side of Whiskey certainly gets out of touch for most folk! Grateful to have won this bottle to try, but I know I wont be releasing it! Cheers.
Like you I have been the same. Before this tried the 10 as picked up a bottle for dirt cheap. Super underwhelmed compared to the other stunning Irish Whiskey available. Lets just say their won't be too many tears when I move on from this one! Cheers Menno!
Completely agree with you there! I was super excited for it but just found it "wimpy". What other Portwood whiskies do you love? I am a huge fan of port drams. Cheers
Glenallachie is that disappointing whisky for me. Many, many other alternatives. ; Oh & Dingle, its so bad that I actually think there's something wrong with it.
I agree with you on Glenallachie, was really underwhelmed by it too. Do however disagree on Dingle, broke my heart reading your comment! 🤣 That is the beauty of whisky though, we all like(or dislike) different things. Cheers Hamo!
@@JeffWhisky Yep, as I said, maybe the Dingle is a dud bottle - I had the same experience as Erik Wait.... ua-cam.com/video/TDYigpJQ0Hg/v-deo.html (copy/paste the link) . I also tried contacting the distillery & never received a reply. Just reinforcing my disappointing experince.
Funny video & always interesting to hear your experience about those, so fair enough...hard to judge this while I have an older batch of this than yours most probably (mine was bottled in 2014) & despite agreeing about a minimum of 43 % to enjoy it a bit more, I love it, but my experience, value wise is also different (a Belgian friend of mine managed to get this for me at 79 € in 2017, so it is on the paper way better value than yours). Now if you wanna hear what I think of my bottle (way more interesting for me than standard Jameson today), it'll cost you only 21mn56 of your time (& alas some pain as I had a sound issue on it), and you could have fun of a 3 yo video too, lol...Change nothing...Cheers !
I think the new bottle shape of the Bushmills 21 looks an improvement but that white label with just a splurge of information is a step back. Are you also not a fan of the new label? Cheers for getting involved Austin! Cheers
Hi Gav, my personal stance is *I DON'T review whisky provided from the distillery or someone connected with them* , as it can muddy the waters slightly. Every reviewer has their own thing and there is pros and cons with it all. This bottle was from a competition win from another UA-cam channel so there is no connection to Bushmills and no one is gaining from this review. As this review shows I certainly give my honest thoughts on it and don't believe it is fair to have to avoid giving my honest thoughts on a bottle just because I don't have the money to purchase it? Otherwise it limits reviews to only the people with the cash to splash on a bottle like this which would only be giving one side. Hopefully that helps clear it up Gav, as integrity and honesty is a big part of my reviews. Keep up the good work on your channel.
Wood normally agree but geff said its a competition win from another channel an nothing to do with the distillery Even less biased than bein given a bottle as a present from family surely?
No matter what, you're reviews always leave me laughing out loud! Another fantastic review Jeff. Cheers 🥃
Cheers for the kind words Rob. Getting someone to literally "LOL" is the goal, or at least do that little exhale of air thing when something is slightly funny. Cheers
I would have guessed the Macallan 5 (Sorry, Jean) but didn't see Bushmill's coming. You know, we haven't reviewed any Bushmills. In fact, we haven't had a Bushmills in ages. Seems like we should refresh out memory and see what all the fuss or non-fuss is all about. Cheers to ya!
Cheers for being brilliant slappers! If you do re grab a bottle of Bushmills, make sure to get your value worth and give it a good wack! Slap on!
Was a quick hunt today. The Amazon Voucher code was found just over an hour after it was released. Let me know if it was you who found it?
Could have guessed any Macallan or Diageo official bottlings, but you beat ...er.. slapper me with this one. Off radar for me in the first place, so guessing was useless.
Slàinte mhath
If I could convince myself to get a Macallan I am very sure it would have a similar review to this! Sadly won't be wasting my money on it for review, fingers crossed for another competition! Cheers Peathead
Good one bud. Seen praise for this and been tempted before to purchase 1. Calling out overpriced whiskey is what we need more of in UA-cam.
Thanks Mike! I didn't really know much about it before I started getting this review together, shocked by the amount of fans it had! It certainly ain't one that will be sad to see the back off!
Love the edit from anchorman when the “high abv” caught you out there… I have a bushmills on my shelf… and it’s just for show I’ve not reached for it for probably over 2 years. I enjoy some Irish whiskies too but Bushmills just has something lacking. And can’t quite put my finger on it. Belter of a video ya legend as always 🥃🕺🏼
I often think when editing, will people actually find this funny or is it just me? But that was something that I was sure would be worth the time putting together. Look forward to chatting tomorrow night, bring on the Bushmills
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. It is not one that I have seen here, but I don't think I will run to it if I come across it.
I will make sure they send a bottle down under just for you mate. Don't want you missing out on it! Cheers
OMG ! same as Jura 10 . . . i am buying 12 x Jura. --- yes, for the same price, a 35-40y RUM will do !
All about that tactical money saving buying! Cheers
My wife bought me a bottle of Bushmills (bless her), it does kinda work if you blend it up with a drop of a decent single malt. It makes the good stuff stretch out a bit further if you’re on a tight budget.
Sometimes the intentions is better than the whisky. I am forever grateful to my wife for the 1 Litre bottle of Johnnie Walker Explorer which she brought back from holiday for me... I should have tried your at home blending to improve it!
G'day Jeff,
I've never been a massive fan of the Irish whiskey. That being said.... I have only one in the cupboard , and it's a Bushmills.... The Black Bush. it's my third one to date. For me... it's beaten the 10 yr and even the Redbreast. the others that come closest so far and within my budget are: Powers Gold, Teeling (single malt), and the Jameson(stout cask).
Again ...loved the rweview mate.
thanks,
AL
Cheers Al! I have never tried Black Bush but have mixed things on it, enough so that it is on my shopping list. Think with your glowing review it may have to move higher up into my basket! Some good picks for budget Irish especially the Jameson Stout Cask.
I've got many high end whiskies. The other day I bought a bottle of JW Red. Had a glass with ice and it was great. Why am I spending all this money and listening to whisky gurus?
It is a shame so many cheaper whiskies get overlooked and premium stuff gets pushed so much by marketing teams. Think there is great whisky that can be found at any price point, enjoy your JW Red on ice! Cheers
Everyone’s palette is different. I can’t use JE Red even as a mixer but if you or anyone enjoys this expression then it’s wonderful! I’m happy when people are loving a dram neat or poured over ice for a lovely refreshing cocktail!! We are all different but that’s what makes watching UA-cam channels fun and reading the comments. I respect everyone’s tastes while they explore whisky and single malts. Cheers!
Just watched this after watching whisky novice rave about a younger bushmills. Slagging bushmills is absolute heresey here in belfast. Great review.
I dare not raise my head in Belfast then... What is the best Bushmills in your opinion? Cheers Scott, thanks for watching and getting involved!
@@JeffWhisky i only really drink the 10 year old when it appears on offer. I am originally from scotland and find scotch is much better value. I will order older ones if im out fir dinner and not driving. I think im drawn to it from having been there and visit the area alot.
It's the whisky that got me into whisky. So I have fond memories of it, but there are many valid remarks to make and it can be so much better imo. Well done.
The 16yo is better value for money but the 21 just has that little edge I like. Definitely batch variation dependent.
Back in the day this was a 100 euro bottle, so going by your prices it has doubled?!
Edit: props for the gaki no tsukai reference at 8:05 from (#0928 - Kiki - #23 Natto) 😆
Oh wow, you came in on your journey via a very fancy bottle, can you remember what followed from this? I can see 100 euros being much fairer for this, even if it is from a dud batch. Cheers for watching Tim and enjoying the quite obscure references!
@@JeffWhisky i think what followed back home (last dram of the vacation), was me getting a bottle of it and balvenie 12 and lagavulin 16. The latter needed a few turns for the palette to get used to it. To be fair redbreast 21 is even more expensive nowadays, which I also like so good shout on the 12 CS.
@@TimHoekstra Bushmills 21, Balvenie 12, and Lagavulin 16, think you had one of the best starts to any whisky journey! It pushes my Monkey Shoulder, Haig Club and Talisker 10 out of the water. I feel like the Redbreast 12 CS provides more than their later expressions, was underwhelmed by the 27 when tried it. Cheers Tim!
Good review. And I'll take the four bottles of Powers John's Lane 12. 😀 Cheers!
SOLD! Bushmills 21 just cannot compete with it.
If you don't like it, you don't like it dude. Bushmills, when you get to their 'special bottlings' seem to crazy on the price. I think their Steamship collection where they're NAS and low abv but just matured in a particular cask is also way overpriced. Glad it was a gift and not a purchase though, that would've hurt!
Cheers buddy! Completely agree about the pricing through nearly all their range, which is a shame when they have access to some huge stock.
Loved how you just kept listing more and more whiskies to buy instead! Too much good whisky is hidden due to the overpriced junk.
It wasn't the plan. I had my phone next to me and just scrolled through Whiskey Exchange website listing out cheaper bottles! Hopefully my maths adds up!! Cheers
There’s not much I’ve tried to be honest that disappoints. There is one that stands out for me I ended up pouring away it was so bad but when I read the reviews it made me think maybe I just had a bad bottle as I suppose it happens, so I don’t want to say what that was 😀🥃 wasn’t Irish though , all I’ll say is a lowland !
oooh interesting, got me thinking what Lowland it could be? Yeah it is rare to feel real disappointed by a whiskey but this one certainly was a real let down. Cheers.
Never had the 21 - but loved the bottle of 16 I had. 😋
A couple of people have said that the 16 is solid, I will have to keep my eyes out for it one time! Cheers for watching Ryan!
The Teeling would be a much better use of the money! Bushmills 21 the Blue Label of Irish
I have enjoyed my exploration into Teeling and all the specs would imply that it is better than this. Have you tried it?
Can Multicasking slap my Campbeltown collection? ? Could do with 1 litre Springbank!
I think it is a service that should be offered around. Come round and make all the bottles bigger! Cheers.
I am sending all my whisky to Jean for a couple of slaps
She is the Superhero we need! I am going to post all my miniatures over! Cheers
I think JE Blue is grossly overrated and I feel even more strongly that Bushmill’s 21 isn’t worth the cost, certainty not here in Vancouver, where alcohol is so expensive. I have bought 3 bottles of Bushmill’s 21 just to see if I find I missed what some ppl rave about but I won’t buy another. Right on that it’s only average at best. IMO after several bottles of JW Blue I feel the same. For these prices I can find outstanding single malt scotch or I’d choose Red Breast 21! That’s exceptional quality! Very stereo but not at all exceptional. I’d give 3 Christine’s at best. Your humour is interesting. Cheers!
I would 100% take a bottle of JW Blue over this Bushmills 21. I have never tried the RedBreast 21, but certainly sounds good. Thanks for watching!
@@JeffWhisky Yup I have to agree. I recently got to try JW Blue again after a long time away from it and I have to say I enjoyed it! No thanks to Bushmill's 21! We agree!! Have an awesome day!! 🙂
I guessed Bushmills because of the bottle shape and because I actually perceive the whisky like you without ever having tried it. The prices are very premium and I doubted if value can keep up.
Alright I'm off, I'm gonna slap my bottles of Edradour natural cask strength and hope they also get bigger.
It is great that it has a unique look which you can guess by the shape, shows the marketing is doing well but shame the liquid inside doesn't hold up. Hope you are enjoying your 2 litre Edradour! Cheers!
@@JeffWhisky Well, I don't know many whiskies with such long and edgy designs and it was a bit more pronounced than JW so that was my guess. But yeah if the liquid can't hold up with the marketing, you're most likely gonna pay way more than you want and should.
Yourself and Whisky Diary are the best reviewers on UA-cam but what has happened to Ben?
That is really kind of you to compare me to Ben's great channel! I think he is taking a bit of a break following his wedding but certainly hope to see him back soon! Cheers!
Watched the review and brought ten bottles of this stuff. Great Shout Jeff!!!!!!
For a second, I was confused by what video this comment was on 😂Enjoy your ten bottles...
It is made for travel retail
I am aware that Bushmills puts out quite a few bottles for Travel Retail like a 33 year old Port release but thought that this one was part of their core range and readily available? I know lockdown meant lots of travel bottles went into shops which blurred the lines. Cheers for watching!
Always a massive dissapointment to see such old whiskey brought down to 40%, wonder if it could have been better at a higher ABV
Yeah it really is. I love seeing what the natural cask strength when it gets to that age, helps add to the story. I am overal happy to enjoy the 40% bottles but feel like would fly at around the 46% mark. Cheers.
Right with you on not buying this. If I was to save up for an Irish 21, it’d be Redbreast. Cheers bud🥃
Phew that is good, as an expert on Irish whiskey I feared it may evoke the wrath of Big Al! Sure Redbreast 21 is a much better shout then this. Cheers buddy!
£170 off Amazon toooooooo pricey for me but if its free count me in.
Yeah it is just crazy money, the rich side of Whiskey certainly gets out of touch for most folk! Grateful to have won this bottle to try, but I know I wont be releasing it! Cheers.
never really bothered with Bushmills, tried a few of their entry level expressions, moved on quickly. On to the next one indeed
Like you I have been the same. Before this tried the 10 as picked up a bottle for dirt cheap. Super underwhelmed compared to the other stunning Irish Whiskey available. Lets just say their won't be too many tears when I move on from this one! Cheers Menno!
BUY BUY BUY. JW Blue gets a lot of slander but I think it is good scotch, this sounds wee bit shite though. Slàinte mhath
I agree that the JW Blue label is a good scotch, if not massively overpriced and marketed in my view. Cheers for watching Ken!
WAIT so are you saying to not buy one but buy 10 of these? If you insist!
If you want to Mike, please do. I will sell you the rest of my bottle too if you want? Cheers for watching!
Mine was the Balvenie 21 Portwood and I love portwood whiskies, but it’s so boring, 40% only, very pale. Very very overpriced.
Completely agree with you there! I was super excited for it but just found it "wimpy". What other Portwood whiskies do you love? I am a huge fan of port drams. Cheers
Glenallachie is that disappointing whisky for me. Many, many other alternatives. ; Oh & Dingle, its so bad that I actually think there's something wrong with it.
I agree with you on Glenallachie, was really underwhelmed by it too. Do however disagree on Dingle, broke my heart reading your comment! 🤣 That is the beauty of whisky though, we all like(or dislike) different things. Cheers Hamo!
@@JeffWhisky Yep, as I said, maybe the Dingle is a dud bottle - I had the same experience as Erik Wait.... ua-cam.com/video/TDYigpJQ0Hg/v-deo.html (copy/paste the link) . I also tried contacting the distillery & never received a reply. Just reinforcing my disappointing experince.
Funny video & always interesting to hear your experience about those, so fair enough...hard to judge this while I have an older batch of this than yours most probably (mine was bottled in 2014) & despite agreeing about a minimum of 43 % to enjoy it a bit more, I love it, but my experience, value wise is also different (a Belgian friend of mine managed to get this for me at 79 € in 2017, so it is on the paper way better value than yours). Now if you wanna hear what I think of my bottle (way more interesting for me than standard Jameson today), it'll cost you only 21mn56 of your time (& alas some pain as I had a sound issue on it), and you could have fun of a 3 yo video too, lol...Change nothing...Cheers !
"the new [label] seems like an improvement"..? You alright?
I think the new bottle shape of the Bushmills 21 looks an improvement but that white label with just a splurge of information is a step back. Are you also not a fan of the new label? Cheers for getting involved Austin! Cheers
those high proofs can catch you out cant they lol it cant compared to a 21 scotch lol
Yeah that spicey 40% abv hit me hard!! Cheers for watching Colin.
Over priced, over hyped: JW Blue and every bottle of Macallan
I really don't think anyone can argue with that all! Cheers
You should not review whisky you have not paid for
Hi Gav, my personal stance is *I DON'T review whisky provided from the distillery or someone connected with them* , as it can muddy the waters slightly. Every reviewer has their own thing and there is pros and cons with it all. This bottle was from a competition win from another UA-cam channel so there is no connection to Bushmills and no one is gaining from this review.
As this review shows I certainly give my honest thoughts on it and don't believe it is fair to have to avoid giving my honest thoughts on a bottle just because I don't have the money to purchase it? Otherwise it limits reviews to only the people with the cash to splash on a bottle like this which would only be giving one side.
Hopefully that helps clear it up Gav, as integrity and honesty is a big part of my reviews. Keep up the good work on your channel.
Wood normally agree but geff said its a competition win from another channel an nothing to do with the distillery Even less biased than bein given a bottle as a present from family surely?