Bushmills, the oldest licensed whiskey distillery in the world, has just released the oldest Irish single malt whiskey yet, the 46-year-old Secrets of the River Bush. This release, named for the Bushmills Distillery's historic water source, is a blend of two specific barrels distilled in 1978.
When this whiskey was originally distilled, it was a tumultuous era for the Irish whiskey industry. Prohibition hit distillers in Ireland remarkably hard, and most of the whiskey distilleries were forced to close permanently.