This year, the sixth season of "Blood Gangster" has just started, and the Douban score is as high as 9.7 points. Another exciting piece of news is that Bushmill whisky has become the official whisky of this high-scoring British drama since the beginning of this season.
"Blood Gang" tells the legendary story of the Razor Party in birmingham, England after the war. The Razor Party belongs to the Shelby family, a real family that has in common with the Bushmill brand in loyalty and perseverance.
This quality has allowed the Shelby family to survive major crises, and has enabled the Bushmill brand to overcome countless dilemmas, fires, famines and wars in its more than four hundred years of history, and has been at the forefront of whisky.
It's time to get to know the Bushmill brand, and I've summarized ten things you should know, including history, origin, products, and more.
01 Ireland's third whisky
Also known domestically as Bestol, Bushmills is located in a small village in Antrim, Northern Ireland, and is one of the oldest whisky distilleries in the world. Bushmill is currently ireland's third-selling whisky brand, with the top two blended whisky-based terms and Trador, while Bushmill is a single malt whisky-based distillery.
The Bushmill distillery, known as old Bushmills Distillery, is the second largest distillery in Ireland, after the New Midleton Distillery, where Zonmeol is located, with an annual production capacity of 4.5 million litres.
Domestically, Bushmill is not only the most comprehensive Irish whisky that can be purchased from official sources, but also the irish whisky with the best price performance, which is more affordable than most Scotch whiskies.
02 Probably the oldest distillery to have a license
Located in the Bush River region of AntrimShire, Northern Ireland, Bushmill Distillery has a long tradition of distilling whisky. Whisky distillation began in the area from at least the 13th century onwards, when an Irish general is said to have drunk alcohol with his troops (Aqua vitae) before each battle to boost morale.
Although there is a lack of documentation, Bushmill is recognized as the oldest licensed distillery, dating back to 1608. At that time King James I granted Sir Thomas Phillips a license to distill whisky. However, Sir Thomas is not considered the founder of Bushmill because Thomas has not set up a company to avoid taxes.
It wasn't until 1784 that Hugh Anderson, the head of the distillery, decided to legalize the distillery. Because the distillery may have been in operation for centuries before that, the company was registered as Old Bushmills Distillery.
In the centuries that followed, the Bushmill Distillery experienced several shutdowns, fires and wars, but has continued to operate to this day.
03 The distillery is printed on the pound sterling
Ireland was once the epicenter of the world's whisky, but in the 1970s there were only two distilleries left in the country: the Old Bushmill Distillery and the New Middleton Distillery. The only distillery in Bushmill has not changed its address, it is not only the most successful winery operated in Ireland, but also one of the most successful businesses in Northern Ireland.
2008 marks the 400th anniversary of Bushmill's official distillation license. The Bank of Ireland issued a series of new pound banknotes in Northern Ireland to celebrate the positive effects Bushmill has had on the Northern Ireland economy over the years.
The new version of the pound sterling, which comes in denominations of $5, $10 and $20, features illustrations of the old Bushmill distillery on the obverse, replacing the previous Queen's University of Belfast, which is still in use today.
04 "Bushmill" is also a village
Ireland currently retains four old wineries, only Bushmill Winery in Northern Ireland under British jurisdiction. As early as the 16th century, this place attracted private wine merchants because it was located at the northernmost tip of the irish island, away from royal tax officials.
The Bush River near the distillery flows through mineral-rich volcanic rocks, providing the perfect source of water for making whisky. Nearby farms provide the winery with an abundance of high-quality barley, which can be processed at mills on both sides of the Bush River. Wineries nestled by the sea can easily load whiskies onto ships and export to Scotland and other nearby ports.
With excellent water, abundant barley, away from tax collectors and open waters, here you have all the conditions to make whisky. Combining the Bush River and the Mill gave birth to the name Bushmills, both the name of the distillery and the name of the village, while reflecting the region's special geographical location.
People in Bushmill village have worked and lived around bushmill wineries for hundreds of years, and people here have always said, "There is no village without whiskey, and there is no whiskey without a village." ”
05 Giant's Causeway
The Bush River, which flows through volcanic rocks, not only creates the enduring Bushmill whiskey, but also gives birth to a world tourist attraction, the Giant's Causeway.
2 kilometres from the town of Bushmill, near the mouth of the Bush River, Arctic storms ravaged jagged cliffs, where an extremely rare natural wonder of the world was born millions of years ago: tens of thousands of columns of basalt of uneven sizes gathered into a causeway stretching for thousands of meters.
In 1693 Sir Chad Barkley wrote the book Giant's Causeway, which first caused a sensation, and in the following centuries, the Giant's Causeway became an international tourist attraction, and tourists still flock to this day.
Bushmill is a gateway to the Giant's Causeway, and visitors to Bushmill often make short stops in it. After a refreshing, smooth glass of Bushmill whiskey, change into the right shoes and spend hours immersed in the ancient, mysterious and mythical Giant's Causeway.
06 Stick to pure wheat whisky
To increase revenue, the British royal family imposed a series of excise taxes on spirits in the 18th century. These policies have led to whisky distilleries being forced to change traditional production methods to avoid paying taxes. These tax evasions unexpectedly created some of the hallmarks of Irish whisky, including the size and shape of the distilled liquor used and even the use of unlearned barley.
One of the most important changes occurred between 1845 and 1849, when Ireland suffered potato blight and turned into a widespread famine. Food shortages and famine left barley facing depletion, and the British government began imposing more taxes on barley malt.
At the time, barley malt was recognized as the best ingredient for making whisky. But to avoid paying a lot of taxes, almost all wineries began adding ungentured barley to their ingredients. This move gave rise to a unique type of whisky in Ireland today: Pot Still Whiskey. In addition, there are many wineries that choose to use corn exclusively to make whisky, thus avoiding paying taxes.
Bushmill, however, chose to pay higher taxes in the hope of a long-term return. The decision set Bushmill apart from other wineries in Ireland. Today, Bushmill is the only distillery in Ireland that insists on producing pure wheat whisky, which has hardly changed in hundreds of years and is in line with the origins of whisky.
07 First global voyage
In 1880, they incorporated the Old Bushmill Ltd. In 1885, the original Bushmill distillery was completely destroyed by fire, but the distillery was soon rebuilt. Just 5 years after experiencing the fire, Bushmill completed its first global voyage.
At the time, Bushmill whisky was so popular that they even built their own steamboats to transport whisky. The Port of Belfast near the distillery was one of the largest ports in the world at the time and eventually became the leader of the global shipbuilding industry, with the Titanic and many World War II Allied warships coming from. Bushmill's own steamship was called "SS Bushmills."
In October 1890, SS Bushmills made its first landing in Philadelphia, USA, and local media described it as "the largest steamship ever entered Philadelphia and filled with the most famous whiskey." After stopping in Philadelphia and New York, SS Bushmills continued to Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Yokohama, Japan, to ship Bushmill whiskies around the world.
08 American Civil War and grape phylloxera
In the 19th century, the popularity of Irish whisky benefited from two major unrelated historical events, the American Civil War and the grape phylloxera.
With much of the U.S. whiskey industry at war, the U.S. quickly became Ireland's number one customer.
The grape phylloxera destroyed vineyards throughout Europe in the 1880s and upended the wine world. It is a devastating disease that kills vines from its roots. Brandy and wine, which used grapes as raw materials, were devastated, and whisky, which used barley and grain as raw materials, became the protagonist.
As a result of this crisis, alcoholic Britons looked everywhere for spirits that could replace brandy. A journalist, Alfred Barnard, traveled to wineries across the UK and collected his research and reports in the book British Whiskey Distillery. Published in 1885, the book was the first comprehensive encyclopedia in history to document whisky distilleries and was a landmark in the whisky world, with journalist Barnard being called a whisky hero.
In his book, detailing the 28 Irish distilleries in operation, which, of course, are most distinctive to Bushmills, points out: "Bushmill is undoubtedly Ireland's oldest distillery, producing about 10,000 gallons of whiskey a year, much of which was exported to the West Indies and the United States at the time." ”
Whisky has since become the king of spirits, and Bushmill has become famous.
09 Tradition and modernity
In the last century, after a series of historical events in Ireland, the once-thriving Irish whiskey was left with only two in the 1970s.
In 1972, the Irish Distillery Company took control of all Irish distilleries, including Bushmill. In 1988, the French Pernod Ricard Group acquired the Irish distillery, which sold Bushmill to Diageo in 2005. Under the modern management of Diageo, Bushmill's production capacity has been greatly increased.
Fortunately, over the past 20 years, people around the world have rediscovered the wonders and fun of Irish whisky and Bushmill single malt whisky.
Ireland now has 38 wineries that produce a variety of different styles of whisky that have upended traditional conventions in order to compete with Bushmill, which represents traditional Irish whisky. Some wineries even use peat malt and two distillations to mimic the most popular Scotch whisky.
But as before, Bushmill continued to do what he had been doing: producing single malt whisky that had been distilled three times. So only in Bushmill can you find the most traditional Pure Irish Malt whisky.
Bushmill, though, doesn't just rely on its storied past. The brand has been committed to innovation over the years, adding 10-, 12- and 17-year-old whiskies to its portfolio in 1983 and even launching an acacia barrel-aged whisky in 2017.
10 Three types of whiskey
Compared to Scotch whisky, Irish whisky is lighter and more drinkable with a hint of fruitiness. Bushmill whisky is a perfect example of the traditional Irish three-distillation technique, and the old Bushmill distillery currently produces three different types of whisky:
The first is the "Bushmill White Label," a blended whisky that comes 55 percent from single malt whisky from old Bushmill Distillery and 45 percent from Grain Whisky from New Middleton Distillery. This is the most basic version of Bushmill whisky, and its recipe dates back to before Prohibition in the United States.
The second is the "Bushmill Black Card", which is also a blended whisky, but it mixes a higher proportion of single malt whisky, reaching 80%, and 20% uses grain whisky. 70% of the single malt portion is aged in sherry barrels and 30% in Bourbon barrels.
Finally, there's the classic Bushmill single malt whisky:
"Bushmill 10 Years": 90% aged in bourbon barrels give whiskey vanilla, honey and milk chocolate aromas.
"Bushmill 12 Years": Matured using Bourbon and Shirley barrels and finally finished in a Marsala barrel. It has rich and complex flavors of sherry, dark chocolate and spices.
"Bushmill 16 Years": 50% aged in Bourbon barrels, 50% aged in Orosso Sherry barrels, mixed together and re-cooked in Port barrels for several months. Intense aromas of fruit, spices and nuts make this single malt whisky special and delicate.
"Bushmill 21 Years": This is the oldest Irish whisky in the country that can be easily bought. It is matured for 19 years in sherry and bourbon barrels, respectively, and finally re-matured for two years in Madeira wine barrels. The intense aromas of dried fruits, raisins, spices, malt and nuts are the hallmarks of this premium whisky from Bushmill.
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