The Busker - Triple Cask Triple Smooth Irish Whiskey, Rich Body with Tropical Fruits and Vanilla Notes, Made at Royal Oak Distillery, Bottle of 70 cl, 40% ABV

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The Busker has four selections of whiskey in it’s collection, and each represents one of the four legal whiskeys produced in Ireland. Those include malt, grain, pot still, and blended whiskeys. While I’ve only had the privilege to enjoy the single malt, I am excited to try the others. FAQ Appearance: Golden straw in color. Thinly coats the glass and makes several large tears before slowly falling. It’s with great pride that today we reveal The Busker’s new small batch whiskey addition,” said master blender Caroline Martin, who took up the role in 2021.

We’ll be tasting all of these components over the course of the week, but right now we’re tasting the sum of all the parts. So let’s get to it. How do you work together with a distillery in the production of a whiskey before being put in cask? Martin: As the Master Blender at Royal Oak Distillery it’s part of my role and that of the Lead Blender to work with the distilling team in creating new-make spirits that will support our current whiskey portfolio: The Busker Triple Cask Triple Smooth, and the 3 Busker single bottlings—Single Grain, Single Malt & Single Pot whiskeys. It's important the blending team sign off on the quality of each new-make spirit, including the flavor styles required. Thereafter it’s about ensuring the consistency of the three newly made spirits before they are filled to cask. Sensory and chemical analysis is performed on a daily basis. Significant experience in the science and technology of whiskey making is vitally important in ensuring the distillery produces a spirit that is fit for purpose. The Busker is a brand under Disaronno International, a US based subsidiary of Illva Saronno SpA. These companies have focused on producing Italian liqueur’s and wine. In 2020, they’ve expanded their reach to Irish whiskey with the release of The Busker.

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Aroma is a warm and fruity delivery layered with earthier and maltier notes that give this an inviting profile; Palate is a heavier, maltier, darker delivery of similar profiles to the aroma, with a sweetness that’s more subtle, but more complex; Finish is the only place oak really shows up and it’s a welcome note to end on.

Next, pot still whiskey must contain at least 30% malted barley and 30% unmalted barley, with up to 5% of other grains allowed. When it comes to The Busker Single Pot Still, they only use barley, but we do not know what ratio of malted to unmalted barley is used. In the past, we reviewed a couple of the most popular Irish whiskeys such as Jameson, Bushmills, and Tullamore Dew, but now we are going to take a look at Busker Irish Whiskey. It’s a fairly new brand that has grown in popularity since it’s release in 2020. If you’re a fan of lighter whiskey / Irish whiskey, then this is for you.The latest release from Irish whiskey brand The Busker is a small batch expression double aged in Bourbon and oloroso Sherry casks. The Busker is owned by Italian brand Illva Saronno Selected at my discretion, the small batch has been matured in first-fill Bourbon casks and then expertly finished in oloroso Sherry European oak butts. There is a lightness and a brightness to this whiskey that’s unlike most other Irish whiskeys out there in that it’s not that cloying honied fruit profile. There’s more going on, more to it than that and it’s driven by malt. Which I appreciate immensely. As you guessed it, single still refers to the fact that this whiskey was made at a single distillery. However, Irish (and Scotch) malt whiskey uses 100% malted barley in it’s mashbill. Malt whiskey also also must be distilled in pot stills. While it’s not as efficient as using column stills, it allows for more character and slight differences between batches. This whiskey is a blend of pot still whiskey that is aged in either bourbon or sherry casks. The Busker Single Malt

So let’s start by explaining what it means to be a ‘single grain’ whiskey. Single refers to the distillery – all the whiskey inside a bottle of The Busker Single Grain Irish Whiskey was produced at a single distillery – the Royal Oak Distillery. ‘Single’ whiskeys are, most of the time, blends of whiskey. The Busker isn’t just a guy that plays guitar on the street. It’s now a new brand of Irish whiskey, actually part of the Disaronno company. Records the default button state of the corresponding category & the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie.

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Martin: I’d like to challenge that concept! Yes, I agree that single malt Scotch does get a lot of visibility, but in reality, blended Scotch whiskies deliver 90% of demand volumes and single malt 10%. The recent upsurge in Irish whiskey production means that the market is still young, compared to Scotch. I think it’s important that some of these whiskeys must be accessible to all consumers and across all formats, blended and singles, especially to new whiskey drinkers. Consumers are still eager to find out everything about Irish whiskeys, including traditional blends and premium offerings. There’s room in the market for all good quality whisk(e)y – Scotch, Irish, and beyond. People have different taste preferences; the fun is about seeking out and finding your favorites. However you plan to drink it, The Busker Irish Whiskey Single Malt is a solid option when you’re looking for a light, easy, and flavorful whiskey. The Busker Irish whiskey Summary Palate: It has a very light flavor profile with a watered down caramel sweetness. The flavors of the sherry and marsala are driving this, providing just a hint of tannin. The finish leaves a faint sulfur and white pepper. This does not need water; the addition pushes out much of the subtle flavor it has and leaves it tasting like grain spirit. The Busker Triple Cask Irish Whiskey shows what can be done with a blend when you start with good components and lean heavily into the malt instead of the grain. Everything comes together nicely here and ends up being an easy-sipping, and easy mixing, whiskey.

The Busker Single Grain takes grain whiskey and ages it in bourbon casks and Marsala casks. Once finished, they are blended together. The Busker Single Pot Still Grain Irish Whiskey must contain malted barley, but no more than 30% of it can be malted barley. The rest of the mash bill can be made up of whole unmalted cereals. This must be distilled in column stills and have a flavor that reflects the ingredients and distillation method. All three styles must be aged a minimum of three years in wooden casks on the island of Ireland. Blended Irish Whiskey is a blend of two or more of the above three styles. Nose: Alcohol is present but less pronounced than in the single grain. There is something overall a little musty about this one but has sweet hints of peanut brittle as well as notes of dry sherry. Below are frequently asked questions regarding The Busker Irish Whiskey. Many of these are answered in the article above. Who Makes Busker Irish Whiskey? Martin: Every part of the whiskey supply chain brings its associated cost with it. That includes different cask types. Some casks are very expensive because they can be very rare and/or very sought after. Whiskeys, too, can range significantly in cost because they may be from closed distilleries, no longer producing newly made spirit. So the finite volume available in the cask can be highly sought after and command high prices. The length of time whiskey is in a cask also has an impact on the cost of bottled whiskey. The longer the maturation time, generally the higher the cost. Finishing a whiskey (in a different cask type) brings with it an added cost. Over and above this, there will be annual fluctuations in the price of raw materials, e.g. malted barley, because of good/bad harvests. All of this drives differences in pricing—and branding will also have an impact on the price to markets.Nose: Smells of lemon and barley initially. Hints of scones and Luxardo cherries underlie those initial scents. Appearance: Very clear golden honey in color, it forms a thin ring on the glass with tears that are slow to form and slower to fall.