Interview with Alex Thomas, Master Blender at Old Bushmills distillery
Alex Thomas, Master Blender at Old Bushmills, tells us the secrets of her job, of the best Bushmills whiskeys and of this legendary distillery, the world’s oldest licensed whiskey distillery.
Could you introduce yourself and tell us about your job within the distillery?
I’m Alex Thomas, Master Blender at Old Bushmills Distillery here on the North Coast of Ireland. No two days are the same as a Master Blender, which is great, variety is after all the spice of life. I can be walking around the warehouses drawing samples from the casks then in the afternoon I will be in the lab preparing blends. The next day I could be travelling to one of our wonderful cask suppliers to pick the next casks we need. I love to attend whiskey festivals to spread the word about Bushmills and hear directly from our fans what they enjoy. The best time though must be watching the golden liquid flow from the casks in disgorging as it makes its way to bottling. The colour and aromas always are amazing.
To be a Master Blender is more of a passion than a job and it allows me to experience all stages of the whiskey making process. The proudest moment for any Master Blender is seeing the whiskey you have spent years creating and caring for be bottled and sent out into the world to be enjoyed by everyone.
How would you describe Bushmills distillery?
The Old Bushmills Distillery is a special place to make whiskey. It’s situated on the rugged and beautiful north coast of Ireland - not far from the world-famous Giant’s Causeway geological formation.
Bushmills is also more than a whiskey or a distillery. It’s a village, where family, friends and neighbours work side by side at the distillery. As we often say, “without the village there would be no whiskey, and without the whiskey there would be no village”.
I am incredibly honoured to be Master Blender for Bushmills and to add my part to its 400 year old legacy.
Tell us about the production process of Bushmills whiskeys.
We always say, ‘We’re not good because we’re old, we’re old because we’re good.’ For over 400 years, Bushmills has never wavered in its quest to craft the finest whiskey possible - doing things the right way, insisting only using 100% Irish malted barley, always triple distilling in copper pot stills. Importantly, never cutting corners and never worrying about how others are doing it.
The Old Bushmills Distillery is one of the few ‘grain to glass’ distilleries in Ireland, which means our whiskey is crafted with care in small batches on one site, rather than in different locations. This process includes all the critical stages of production – malt distilling, maturing, blending and bottling.
The quality of our ingredients is vital to the quality of the final whiskey and water is critical to the process of creating Bushmills Irish Whiskey. Ours is drawn from Saint Columb's Rill, which is a tributary of the River Bush, which runs from the Antrim Hills through the same type of basalt rock that makes up the Giant’s Causeway, passes through Bushmills before reaching the sea at Portballintrae on the north Antrim coast.
What distinguishes you from other Irish distilleries?
Bushmills Irish Whiskey dates back to 1608, we are the world’s oldest licensed whiskey distillery. Over 400 years later, whiskey is still being made in Bushmills, thanks to the experience and craft passed down from generation to generation.
The quality of our whiskey hasn’t changed for hundreds of years, we just use water and barley so it’s very pure, very natural and people are drawn to that. People are looking for an originality and as an award-winning brand with a long and rich heritage in handcrafting great whiskey for centuries, we fulfil that demand.
All our whiskeys at Bushmills are triple-distilled, which gives them our signature smooth character and I am the caretaker that ensures what you taste today you will have tasted before and will again within each expression.
We also continue to innovate – and for me, there’s nothing better than creating new expressions for whiskey drinkers around the world, like The Causeway Collection.
Tell us about Bushmills 2008 Jupille Cask which is exclusively available in France at Le Comptoir Irlandais.
The Bushmills 2008 Jupille Cask is a very special whiskey that was released as a limited edition as part of the Causeway Collection. It is a rare cask finished, cask strength (55.1% ABV) and non chill-filtered Irish Single Malt.
After maturing for over 10 years in oloroso sherry butts and bourbon barrels, this exceptional whiskey was finished in rare Jupille casks sourced from the Loire Valley in north-eastern France. These notably densely grained oak casks previously housed premier Burgundy red wines, bringing succulent dark fruit flavours with warming sweet pear and melon notes. Where others might recask their whiskey for just six months or so, we’ve added deeper waves of flavour by maturing ours in these Jupille casks for a further three years.
The extra time taken to finish this whiskey gives it a rich bramble fruit and fresh honey character, giving way to a warming finish with hints of sweet melon and pear. It’s a sensational whiskey that really does stand with the best of Irish Single Malt.
What do you think is the best way to taste a Bushmills whiskey?
I think enjoying a Bushmills Single Malt with friends, whether it’s a celebration or just a quiet night in, is the best way to taste it!
However, if you want to concentrate on the whiskey itself – you ideally need to be in a nice, quiet area where it's not too cold and not too warm, so you're getting the whiskey at room temperature. This just opens up all of the different flavour profiles. That room temperature gives you that opportunity to get the delicate flavours that are in there. If the strength of the whiskey is too much for you, then you can add the ice or the water at a different stage but try it neat first and then work from there
What is your favourite Bushmills whiskey and why?
I particularly love to linger over a Bushmills 16YO malt as I relax and mull over the day that’s been, but every whiskey has its perfect time and setting – that’s one of the amazing things about the range at Bushmills – we have a whiskey for every occasion.
What are the distillery's upcoming projects?
We continue to experience consistent demand for our premium Single Malt expressions globally, so we are continually innovating and expanding on our core product portfolio.
Article written by Camille L.
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