Bushmills Irish Whiskey Barrel Aged Recipe

Barrel Aged Cocktail Recipe – Bushmills Irish Whiskey Aged In Irish Moonshine Barrel

Being of the Irish descent I am quite partial to Irish Whiskey. I have heard that God invented it so the Irish wouldn’t take over the world. It’s working so far, I guess. Just remember that everyone is Irish for a day each year on St Patrick’s Day. If you are a lover of the Irish Whiskey then this one may be a tasty treat for you. Irish whiskey is traditionally made using malted and unmalted barley (although there are some single malt Irish whiskies) and it is usually triple distilled. There are quite a few tasty Irish whiskies on the shelf at your local liquor store so choosing which one you like may be an ongoing task. I like the Jameson, Tullamore, Redbreast and Bushmills Irish whiskey brands but you find what suits your taste buds. According to law in Ireland, Irish whiskey must be 1) made in Ireland, 2) aged at least 3 years in a barrel.

We are going to add some flavor to our Bushmills Irish Whiskey. Not only from the mini oak barrel we are going to age it in but also from some Irish moonshine (potcheen). A few years ago I came across some Irish moonshine called Bunratty. It has some really great flavors (at least I like them) including sweetarts, fruit and hints of licorice . It really tastes nothing like Irish whiskey and so that is why I am going to cure the barrel with the potcheen and then age our Irish whiskey in the barrel. This is probably one of my favorite aged recipes I have made. Now if I can just find the potcheen again since my local store that had it no longer carries it.

Serving Size

Will make about 9-11 drinks per recipe. The longer you age it in the barrel the less you will have remaining since some loss due to Angel’s Share is imminent.

Ingredients

Directions

The first thing you need to do is cure your barrel. Most people normally cure the barrel with water but in this case you want to cure the barrel with your Irish moonshine. You will need to fill at least half of the barrel with the bourbon you are curing with. Leave the potcheen in the barrel for at least a week. I recommend actually aging the potcheen for about a month and drink it, then you can use the barrel for this recipe after that. Otherwise if you are in a hurry you can just use it to cure the barrel. This will allow it to permeate the staves of the barrel and leave the flavor profile behind for your Bushmills to absorb. Once you have the barrel cured then pour the potcheen back in your bottle and empty the fifth of Bushmills Irish Whiskey you are going to age in the barrel. Now comes the hard part. WAITING. Wait for the barrel to impart the flavor into the Irish whiskey. You can leave it in the barrel for a week, a month or even longer depending on how you like yours. I suggest that you take a small taste each week to see how it is going and once it reaches your preferred flavor then remove it from the barrel and pour it in a bottle. WOW the flavor is awesome! It may not be your cup of tea but if you like Irish whiskey I think you will enjoy this one with a twist.