Bushmills, in collaboration with The Whisky Club (the worldโs largest whisky subscription club with over 36,000 members) is unveiling The Causeway Collection 2010 Double Moscatel.
The newest addition from the famed Irish whiskey maker, it also happens to be the fourth expression made in close consultation with The Whisky Club.
Available exclusively to the clubโs members โ signing up is easy and free-of-charge โ this limited edition provides Aussie malt lovers with a genuinely rare opportunity: to own a mature-age single malt from the worldโs oldest licensed whiskey distillery.
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As it happens, through its partnership with The Whisky Club, Bushmills boasts quite the connection to Australia.
Since 2020, the venerable Irish whiskey distillery (which was first granted a distilling licence in 1608) has developed a trio of Causeway-badged expressions for connoisseurs down under, with the goal of โshowcasing Bushmillsโ single malt excellenceโ and shoring up the brandโs โcredentials among whiskey gatekeepersโ.
Bushmillsโ Master Blender Alex Thomas describes this release as โa labour of love between both parties for the last 18 monthsโ, revealing that this release marks another milestone for the partnership as the first โfull Sherry cask-matured Bushmills to receive a secondary maturation.โ
According to Emily Ashbolt Cason, Co-Founder of The Whisky Club, the Causeway Collection expressions arenโt just โthe most popular whiskey series weโve launched at the Clubโ โ theyโre โone of the most popular whiskey series released anywhere in the world.โ
The first of these, the 2006 Marsala Cask, routinely sells for a 4x premium in the secondary market and is underpinned by several qualities that are now-characteristic to the Causeway Collection range: think a mature spirit, triple-distillation and, with every release, a focus on a specific rare cask.
โNow weโre absolutely thrilled to launch the next history-making whiskey in the series,โ continues Ashbolt Cason, โto the worldโs biggest community of whisk(e)y loversโฆfollowing rave reviews and record auction prices for its predecessors.โ
NOSE | PALATE | FINISH |
Honey | Milk chocolate | Allspice |
Florals | Summer fruits | Walnut |
Muscat | Raisin | 49.1% ABV |
Having previously worked with Bushmillsโ Banyuls and Burgundy wine barrels, this go round, Bushmills has chosen to highlight the influence of Moscatel grapes (a.k.a. Muscat) on the whiskey-finishing process. The change has paid off, with the bottle not only winning a Double Gold at the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, but also currently being on the shortlist for Best Irish Single Malt.
Often compared with Port, Moscatel has a tendency to impart rich aromas of flower and fruit to whatever wood itโs aged in.
Precise notes will vary โ based on whether youโre working with the dark-skinned or white Muscat grape โ but in the case of this 2010 Causeway Double Moscatel, the use of two casks, both previously employed to make Muscat dโAlexandria, delivers an enticing combination.
On the one hand, itโs impossible to ignore the Alexandrian grape varietalโs famously bright, summery bouquet along with warm, honeyed flavours on the palate. But below that initial sensation, thereโs an undercurrent of chocolate-covered toffee and stewed fruit: both delicious notes that are telltale signs of a long sleep in Spanish sherry casks.
Bushmills 2010 Causeway Collection Double Moscatel will begin shipping this month. To learn more, and obtain your bottle while stocks last, explore the link below.