​Co Antrim whiskey that ‘delights all the senses’ is Ireland’s best

​Ireland’s best whiskey in 2024 was distilled by Old Bushmills in Co. Antrim, now widely acclaimed as the world’s oldest licensed distillery.
The distillery, long the only whiskey producer in Northern Ireland, has been named the Irish Whiskey Taste Master 2024 in the recent Irish Whiskey Masters in Dublin for its 30-years-old whiskey, among the oldest produced by the company that’s now
run by Proximo of New Jersey for Jose Cuervo, a global leader in tequila.
Bushmills 30-years-old was praised by judges for its ‘nice amount of spice’ and ‘very nice sweet, grape feel to it – incredibly well rounded’. It had a ‘strong rye spice, honey/golden syrup sweetness, incredible finish, stunning colour’.
Alex Thomas, master blender at Old Bushmills, says: ‘We are thrilled to receive this hugely important accolade from our industry. Our 30-year-old single malt really delights all the senses.
‘It is triple distilled from 100 percent malted barley and matured in Oloroso sherry butts and bourbon barrels for 14 years before being finished for 16 years in first-fill Pedro Ximénez casks,’ Alex explains. ‘It’s a whiskey that delights all the senses
The taste is said to be ‘exquisite with velvety and smooth mouth feel’. ‘Sweet hints of dates, raisins and figs followed by praline and orange peel before developing into vanilla and warm pastry notes.’
The innovation-led distillery also collected major awards for other products including the Black Bush premium blend, the 21-year-old single malt, 25-year-old single malt and the 16-year-old single malt.
There were other significant awards too for Hinch Distillery in Ballynahinch, Shortcross in Crossgar – especially its Irish Whiskey Bonding Company products, Belfast’s McConnell’s and Copeland in Donaghadee.
The Irish whiskey category has been a great success story. In 2013, there were only four distilleries on the island, including Bushmills, but 10 years later this has expanded to 45 in operation – around 12 in Northern Ireland – and more planned.