The annual announcement of the single-malt Irish whiskeys in the Bushmills Causeway Collection is only a recent phenomenon but it has started a new tradition of eager anticipation. It comes in two phases. First is the announcement of the limited-edition, long-aged and intriguingly matured whiskeys to be added each year to the luxury Collection.

Not that the single malts of the core collection are not remarkable themselves – especially the port-finished 16YO and the madeira-influenced 21YO. But the Causeway Collection whiskeys take “finishing” way further. Last year, for example, the 1991 Madeira Cask spent 15 years in those first-fill madeira casks and the 2000 Port Cask spent its entire 20 years of ageing in port pipes.

This year’s Collection has whiskeys matured or finished in casks including a 30YO Madeira, an 11YO Banyuls, a 2012 Pomerol and a 2002 Vermouth. However, this brings us to phase two of the anticipation. Because they are available in such small numbers, each territory is allocated only one or two of the rare expressions. Last year, Great Britain was allocated the aforementioned 1991 Madeira and 2000 Port – and there are still a few bottles available.

The new expression available in Great Britain is a 1997 Rum Cask and, once again it is a bold maturation. In February 1997, presumably while Don’t Speak by No Doubt was playing on the radio, new-make spirit was poured into American oak casks previously filled with Caribbean rum. And there it rested for 24 years.

Except that it was not asleep – the whiskey that has emerged is light in colour and equally agile in character. It’s a dancing spirit, jumping between tropical flavours – mango to pineapple – before limboing under apricot and other summer fruits. There are peppery and spicy beats to the show, too, but that long ageing has emphasised the complex, elegant character of Bushmills malt which binds the whole. The whiskey was recently awarded a gold medal at The Spirits Business Luxury Masters Awards.

There has always been a great bond between the West Indies and Ireland – not always for happy reasons, but definitely when it comes to enjoying a drink, food and a story or two. Bushmills has a commitment to storytelling with its Singular Tales collaborations with such people as spoken-word poet James Massiah and the visual artist Shaquille A Keith (whose work appears below). For the launch of the Causeway Collection 1997 Rum Cask, Bushmills has partnered with an “epicurean storyteller”, Barbados-born chef Jason Howard. He has developed a menu of Caribbean-influenced dishes to pair with the whiskey. They’ll be found on the @BushmillsUK Instagram account and other social media channels in November.

And the final wave of Causeway Collection excitement? Once you’ve secured a bottle of the Rum Cask, the game is to keep an eye out for the other expressions on your travels.

Bushmills Causeway Collection 1997 Rum Cask, £399 for one of only 1,350 bottles; available at whisky specialist retailers including The Whisky Shop and The Whisky Exchange. Read more at: bushmills.com/causewaycollection