What transpired was an invitation from the lovely folks at Spook Media to attend one of the Bushmills Sessions, where Colum Egan, the celebrated master distiller from the Bushmills whiskey distillery in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, conducts a tasting session where a specially selected group of guests (well I like to think so anyway!) sample their unique range of Irish whiskies. How could I say no to such a kind offer?
I arrived just on time at The Pembroke, which is just up the road from Earls Court tube station, and it struck me immediately that I actually knew the pub. Once upon a time it was the Coleherne, a watering hole frequented by the London's gay community. The place has a chequered history, which I'll let you discover for yourself with a quick Google... These days its been spruced up and is decorated in that 'warm wood and leather, with signature expensive wallpaper on one wall' look that seems to be very fashionable these days.
I'll admit here that I'm already a fan of Bushmills Irish whiskey - I've visited their distillery, and for reasons I'll now explain I much prefer their whiskies to similar brands from Scotland. Bushmills has been producing whiskey for over 400 years, using a particular method that is now unique to their distillery as other small producers in the area have dissapeared over the centuries - their whiskies have a very clean, sweet aroma and taste because they simply air-dry the malted barley that they use to make the malt whiskey that goes into their various brands. In contrast, the method employed in Scotland usually includes introducing peat smoke to the air that is drying the malted barley. This is what gives Scottish single malt whisky anything from a delicate earthy taste to something akin to putting dirt in your mouth - this quality is completely absent from Bushmills' whiskies, which I have to say I much prefer!
For their Bushmills Original brand, they use a single malt whiskey made in a pot still mixed with some grain whiskey that has been produced from a column still. The character of the whiskey is then enhanced by being matured in old oak barrels imported from the United States. For the Blackbush brand that they make, what sets this apart from Bushmills Original is that it is matured in Oloroso sherry casks that make their way over from Spain - as a consequence this whiskey has a much darker colour and a more complex taste. Of course they also produce single malt whiskies, the main staples being a 10 year old and a 16 year old, both of which I really like, but unfortunately they hadn't brought along any bottles of the 16 year old for us to sample this evening which was a bit of a shame. They do make a few other single malts, including a whiskey that has been matured for 21 years, and a 'special edition 1608' which was produced for the distillery's official 400th birthday two years ago, but you'll probably have to make the trip to Bushmills yourself to buy them, because I've only seen them in the on-site shop!
So, along with a few tall tales and lots of traditional Irish toasts Colum, who is a real character by the way and possibly one of the friendliest Irishmen you're ever likely to meet, explained the history of the distillery, whiskey making methods, his own personal journey to becoming a master distiller, and gave us some useful tasting notes on the whiskeys which we were sampling (if you decide to try this out for yourself, I've uploaded his official tasting notes here). Colum also told us about a competition they are running at the moment for aspiring distillers, 'Make It At Bushmills'.Through their Facebook page, competitors selected from around the world will be invited along to a 'Bushcamp' at the distillery. The winner of 'Bushcamp' will then spend a month working alongside Colum at Bushmills, learning what it takes to become a master distiller. They'll also be able to enjoy exclusive use of a penthouse apartment looking out over the Antrim coast during their stay, and a cool £5000 in spending money - sounds good!
Well I certainly had a fantastic evening, and with my hand firmly on my heart I will say that for my palate at least, Bushmills whiskies are the best going. I'll certainly make the most of the three small bottles of whiskey that we were given as we left, and I'll be drinking them from the nicely etched Bushmills whiskey tumbler that came with them. I must ask a favour however- if you talk to me tomorrow, please don't raise your voice as I'm likely to be a little bit delicate after an evening dedicated to some serious Irish whiskey drinking - sláinte!
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| Colum Egan (picture from Bushmills official marketing material) |
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