Bushmills 16 Year Old Irish Whiskey
Bushmills 16 Year Old Irish Whiskey is a 750mL triple-distilled Irish single malt bottled at 40% ABV, made from 100% malted barley at the Old Bushmills Distillery in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The house's "three-wood" malt, it ages about 15 years in bourbon barrels and Oloroso sherry casks, then marries and finishes for about 9 months in port wine pipes. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
- ABV: 40% (80 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Style: Irish single malt, triple distilled, 100% malted barley
- Age: 16 years — about 15 years in bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks, finished about 9 months in port pipes
- Origin: Old Bushmills Distillery, Bushmills, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Three Woods, One Long Finish
Most Bushmills malts work with two cask types; the 16 Year Old adds a third. Bourbon barrels give it vanilla and honey, Oloroso sherry butts give it dried fruit and depth, and the final rest in port pipes — the big barrels port ages in — lays a jammy, marmalade richness over both. It is the range's connoisseur pour, listed by the brand with a San Francisco World Spirits Competition Gold (2024), and it shows what the distillery's grain-to-glass site in County Antrim — malt distilling, maturing, blending and bottling in one place, on water from Saint Columb's Rill — can do given sixteen years. Compare it with the 21 Year Old on the Bushmills vendor page or browse our whisky collection.
Tasting Notes
Deep amber. The brand's US notes describe a rich, aromatic nose of dried citrus with toffee and caramel; a palate of dried fig, toasted nuts and vanilla bean; and a rich, generous finish of orange marmalade and chocolate.
How to Enjoy
Neat or with a few drops of water to open the port fruit; it also makes a luxurious Irish Manhattan. More special-occasion bottles are in our spirits collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What casks is Bushmills 16 Year Old matured in?
Three: bourbon barrels and Oloroso sherry casks for about 15 years, then a finishing rest of about 9 months in port wine pipes — the distillery's "three-wood" maturation.
Is Bushmills 16 a single malt?
Yes — triple-distilled from 100% malted barley at the Old Bushmills Distillery, with no grain whiskey in the blend.
What is the difference between Bushmills 16 and 21?
The 16 finishes in port pipes after bourbon and sherry maturation; the 21 spends longer in bourbon and sherry wood (a minimum of 19 years) and finishes in Madeira casks instead. The 16 is fruitier and jammier; the 21 is deeper and more dried-fruit driven.
Three woods and sixteen years — order Bushmills 16 Year Old online from Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.