Here at Wilderness Whiskey Women, we aren’t the ones to hop on new and noteworthy release bandwagons. I rarely run out to try and buy the latest whiskeys. Others tell us they can’t wait to see what all the buzz is about when a limited-release or new celebrity whiskey hits the market and don’t understand why we wait around to see. My response is always the same. The hype is marketing. Bushmills Prohibition Recipe results from great marketing, but the whiskey is one of the best offerings from Bushmills.
The Peaky F*cking Blinders
In the Netflix drama Peaky Blinders, the main character, Tommy Shelby (played by Irish Actor Cillian Murphy), said he preferred Irish Whiskey. Heading into the final season in 2022, Bushmills announced a partnership with the fictional Shelby Co. to create a prohibition-style whiskey. Bushmills released the Prohibition Recipe limited edition ahead of the final season of the Netflix series. This resulted in my social feed being filled with pictures of dudes sipping Bushmills and watching the last episodes of the series.
Despite the hokiness of the Bushmills’ “partnership” with a fictional company from a long-running TV series, the whiskey itself was actually quite good. It rivals our favorite expression from Bushmills, Black Bush. We might have to compare these head-to-head soon. Until then, you can find our review of Black Bush here.
Bushmills Prohibition Recipe
The Bushmills Prohibition Recipe is a blend of 3, 4, and 5-year whiskeys from Bushmills. It appears to be the same offering as their typical white label but at a higher proof. The typical White Label is 80 proof, while the Prohibition Recipe is bottled at 92 proof. If you don’t think the proof makes a difference in a whiskey’s flavor, Bushmills Prohibition Recipe will change your perspective. It is better in every way.
Tasting Notes
Bushmills Prohibition Recipe is “intense, complex, and bold,” according to Tommy Shelby from the Bushmills website. Oh, so much nuance… What did I expect from a fictional character in a series that didn’t keep my interest? However, we expected the Bushmills Prohibition Recipe to be similar to the white label with notes of vanilla and caramel, summer fruits, honey, and oatmeal cookies.
We immediately noticed the summer fruit on the nose, picking up hints of apples and nectarines. There was a hint of breadiness, along with some floral notes. The nose was excellent.
On the first sip, Alie remarked that it tasted like apple juice. It was very sweet and very easy to drink. We both picked up fruit notes, such as apples and berries. I picked up notes of strawberry taffy and berry candies. Alie got notes of pineapple. We picked up the bready notes, along with a hint of honeycomb. A bit of funky wood tends to be prevalent in Irish whiskey, but the sweet goodness and peppery finish of the Bushmills Prohibition Recipe quickly eliminated the funk. We were left with a mellow, lingering, warm tingle with each sip, allowing us to enjoy our pours a little longer than usual.
Our Ratings
Drinkability: 4.2
It is what Bushmills should be.
Intensity: 3
It’s a nice mellow burn that lingers longer than usual. Peppery.
Personal Preference: 3.9
It’s one of the best Irish Whiskeys we’ve tried—good balance of funk and sweetness.
Beginner Friendly: 4.5
It’s an excellent starter bottle.
Availability: 3
It’s a limited release but still pretty widely available in stores and online. It is still on the shelf at two nearby liquor stores. I also had many people solicit me after posting a picture from our tasting on the socials. Now feels like a good time to remind readers to beware of scammers.
Overall: 3.9
Closing Thoughts
Although this bottle was released in the fall of 2022, you won’t have too much difficulty locating a bottle. Many retailers online are still offering it for sale. The price is reasonable, around $25-30 from most retailers. Bushmills Prohibition Recipe is everything we want the original white label to be, and it proved that Bushmills would be a superb whiskey if they upped the proof on their offerings. We recommend you pick up a bottle for your collection before the supplies are exhausted.
Happy Exploring!
