Bushmills The Steamship Collection Rum Cask Reserve

Bushmills The Steamship Collection Rum Cask Reserve is a Global Travel Retail release from 2018, part of the Steamship Collection inspired by the SS Bushmills, the steamship once used to transport Bushmills whiskey around the world. The series focuses on single malt releases shaped by specific cask types, with this edition built to highlight the flavour impact of rum wood on the Bushmills house style.

Matured in a combination of bourbon barrels and mature rum casks, this expression sits in a very different place to the Port and Char Bourbon editions. Rum casks tend to carry residual sweetness and spirit-derived congeners into the wood, which translates in whiskey to notes that lean more towards molasses, soft caramel, and tropical fruit rather than dried-fruit sherry richness or wine tannin grip. In practical terms, the rum element rounds the texture and pushes the fruit profile into a warmer, riper direction.

Expect honey, vanilla and soft oak on the nose with a clear tropical edge. The palate brings ripe fruit sweetness, brown sugar warmth and gentle spice, finishing medium long with lingering fruit, sweet oak and a final soft rum cask richness.