This is one swanky sláinte.
Last month, Bushmills, the world’s oldest licensed whiskey distillery, released its limited edition, 46-year-old whiskey — billed as the oldest Irish single-malt ever sold.
The mahogany sipper, hailing from County Antrim, Northern Ireland, also sports one hefty price tag for New Yorkers not worried about the volatile market and hoping for a taste.
Bottles of the special spirit — officially christened “Bushmills 46-Year – The Secrets of the River Bush” — were originally priced at $12,500, and only 300 were made.
The previous record for an aged single malt was 45 years, so Bushmills cracked the casket just in time to set a record.
“The casks will tell you when it’s time. We let each cask tell us when it’s ready and this whiskey told me it was ready,” Bushmills’ Master Blender Alex Thomas told The Post.
And now New Yorkers are ready to enjoy — if they can afford it.
While the 300 bottles quickly sold out, Big Apple imbibers looking to sample greatness can order up a shot of Bushmills 46 for an eye-popping $2,980 before tax and tip at Fifth Avenue’s Peninsula hotel — where the menu describes the luxe liquor as “velvety” with “notes of dried fruit, warm spices.”
The Post tried a sample of the high-end hooch and it tasted like “caramel” and was “really smooth.” While it “doesn’t burn” going down, the “blast from the alcohol” was an “eye-opener.” The consensus? We’d order it — if someone else was paying for it.
For a sobering comparison, a blip of the bougie booze at the Peninsula costs more than a night’s stay in the pricey property’s Executive Suite upstairs.
The ritzy Midtown hostelry added a 2-ounce pour of the limited-edition whiskey to their menu on a rainy St. Patrick’s Day, last month — which, incidentally, was the first and last time somebody gambled on the glam gulp sipping out of a rocks glass at the Clement Bar, the property told The Post.
The luxurious tipple will be offered until the bottle, which is stored under lock and key in a back office, runs dry — about 11 shots from now, according to staff.
Feeling slightly less spendy? Head north to The Plaza, where they’re asking a relatively discounted $1,250 per shot where several people had enjoyed it. Further downtown, at Crane Club in the Meatpacking District, it’ll run you $2,450.
Or stick around Midtown and stop in at The Elgin near Rockefeller Center, where you’ll pay $1,400 — while supplies last.
That’s where an excited bartender recently jumped up on the bar to show off an elegantly shaped, unopened bottle — tenderly cradling the prized possession under lamplight to admire the precious liquid’s unique, enticing dark color.
“If I had the money, I would pay for it, but I don’t have the money,” manager Connor Murphy joked to The Post, noting that he needs someone else to order the whiskey before he can even open the bottle.
“I want to see the look on their face when they try it,” he said, suggesting he’d take the smallest sampling possible sooner or later, “I will definitely take a lick at some stage.”
And who would blame him? Certainly not Master Blender Thomas — one of the lucky few who have had the honor of tasting the dark whiskey after it matured for nearly half a century.
“For me, this isn’t just a smooth, rare single malt whiskey, it is real history in the making,” she told The Post.
“For 46 years, we’ve patiently watched over this remarkable liquid and witnessed it transform into this rich, dark beauty, deeply authentic and full of flavor.
“This is Bushmills at its best.”
Thirsty for a pricey pour yet? Bottoms up — but first, maybe take out a loan.
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