Northern Ireland based coffee vanguards launch new ‘Black Bush Blend’

The partnership began in mid-2021, when the two local businesses were inspired to work together to develop a Bushmills Black Bush Irish Whiskey barrel aged coffee blend.

Following months of work, research, testing and tasting, ‘Black Bush Blend’ was recently launched at the Black Bush Stories event with the first batch selling out within 15 minutes.

The coffee is a single origin coffee from a farm in Brazil called Daterra. It is a Peaberry lot called Pearl. The green coffee has been aged in Black Bush Olorosso Sherry Cask and Bourbon barrels provided by The Old Bushmills Distillery and is then roasted and blended together.

As in the ageing of Black Bush, the barrels add soft fruit notes of apple and plum, with an aromatic vanilla note too. The coffee has also taken on a slight fermented aromatic note whilst maintaining a rich, syrupy body with notes of chocolate that comes from the green coffee itself.

Mark Ashbridge, founder of Established Coffee, explained: “We were really excited to work with Bushmills on this project as there are so many synergies of craft between Bushmills and what we do here every day.

“At Established we strive to innovate, learn and evolve, and so we welcomed this opportunity to push ourselves and create a blend that can be enjoyed as a morning brew or as part of a delicious Black Bush cocktail.

“The resulting Black Bush Blend coffee is so interesting on the palette, and we couldn’t believe it sold out in 15 minutes. Feedback has been extremely positive so we’re working around the clock to roast more batches and restock.

“I am extremely proud of the collaboration with Bushmills and our Established journey so far, from opening the café in 2013 to opening our own roastery during the pandemic. We have an incredible team of people around us and I am excited to see where this journey takes us.”

Inspired by the craftsmanship, passion and care that goes into every bottle of Bushmills Black Bush, Black Bush Stories celebrates the stories and talents of extraordinary Irish individuals who have challenged traditional thinking in their respective fields.

Bushmills Black Bush x Established Coffee is the first in a series of immersive collaborations planned for 2022.