Bushmills – 2010 Causeway Collection Cognac Cask (70cl, 53.8%)

An Irish single malt from Bushmills in Northern Ireland, bottled at a cask strength of 53.8% in a 70cl bottle as part of the Causeway Collection. The whisky spent more than seven years in oloroso sherry butts and bourbon casks. It then had a further five years in aged casks from the Charente region of France. These Limousin oak casks had each held fine Cognac for at least fifteen years, and they bring ripe fruit, candied fig and almond. The nose has gentle oak, cinnamon spice, ripe fruit and sweet honeycomb. The palate opens with caramel and ripe pear, then dried dates, fig and a little almond, before vanilla and warm cinnamon. The finish is long and warm.