Bushmills has been in the whiskey game for quite a while. In fact, its historic distillery along the rugged coast of Northern Ireland is among the oldest in the world—producing single malt since 1784. Next to nothing has changed in terms of how that process unfolds: quality barley, yeast, and pure water pulled from the same meandering brook. But Bushmills isn’t resigned to merely being some proud ode to the past. It’s continually unfurling freshness upon this most traditional of spirit categories. The latest example of this emerged in the form of Bushmills 26 Crystal Malt. After debuting in European markets earlier this year, the instant classic is now ready for U.S. shelves.
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Beyond its impressive age statement, the newcomer is distinguished by its namesake ingredient. Crystal barley malt was kilned using a proprietary process that crystalizes sugars as it breaks down starches within the cereal grain. You can taste the difference in the spirit coming off the still, which has creamy caramelized flavors and hot chocolate aromas. These sorts of characteristics—with time, skill and luck—only intensify in the barrel.
And that’s what happened with this whiskey, which dates back to 1997. The distillery initially gave us a glimpse of its brilliance back in 2008 with a special edition blend. The extremely allocated release commemorated the 400th anniversary of the original royal license to distill, granted to a local landowner in the town of Bushmills. Matured in a combination of bourbon and sherry casks, it has gone on to become a cult favorite amongst Irish whiskey connoisseurs, typically selling for around $1,000 a bottle.
The 26-year-old uses that same malt base and was aged in exclusively former bourbon. The final product is a brilliant butterscotch-bomb.
What Does Bushmills Crystal Malt Whiskey Cost?
But this kind of rarity doesn’t come cheap and will sell for a suggested retail price of $1,000 beginning this month. It’s packaged in a stately copper-topped decanter, featuring the hallmark design elements of the brand’s Prestige Collection. This ongoing series initially debuted in May 2023 with widely praised expressions of 25- and 30-year-old single malt.
What Awards Has Bushmills Crystal Malt Whiskey Won?
Crystal Malt, for its part, is wasting no time in collection accolades of its own. The ultra-luxe offering took home a Double Gold at the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. You could indeed say it’s a golden age for Bushmills—even by its own lofty standards. It’s got the awards and the increased output to show for it.
As an unabashed whiskey geek I certainly can’t wait to see—and sip—what other tricks Bushmills has up its copper-stilled sleeves. But the friendly folks up in Northern Ireland aren’t in a rush to drop any clues. Believe me, I tried. When you’ve been holding an operation steady for some 241 years, you learn to build a little patience along the way.
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