Bushmills distillery
Ireland’s oldest, and supposedly, haunted licensed distillery. In truth while the right to distil was granted back in 1608 the current distillery only dates back to 1888 but despite this it’s easily Ireland’s oldest still operating distillery with the New Middleton distillery being built in 1975 and Cooley not popping up until 1987
Bushmills factsheet
| Name | Pronounced | AKA | Region | Country of Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bushmills | bush*mills | Old Bushmills Distillery | County Antrim | Ireland |
| Status | Active | Whisky Type | Website | Tours Available |
| Active | 1784 - Present | Malt | Bushmills | Tour Link |
| Manager | Distiller | Blender | Owned by | Parent Group |
| David Elder | Colum Egan | Helen Mulholland | Jose Cuervo |
Bushmills Timeline:
1608: The right to distill in the region was granted by James I of England
1784: The Bushmills Old Distillery Company was established though repeatedly fell silent
1860: Jame McColgan and Patrick Corrigan buy the silent distillery
1880: Jame McColgan and Patrick Corrigan form a limited company
1885: The distillery burns down
1888: The distillery is rebuilt
1890: SS Bushmills, a steamship owned and operated by the distillery, makes its maiden voyage across the Atlantic to deliver Bushmills whiskey to America
1911: SS Bushmills ran aground on Nimrod Rock, Penrhos Bay, Anglesey on the 11th January 1911 when on passage from Liverpool for Cardiff in ballast. She was refloated on the 26th August 1911 and broken up Llanerchymor
1923: The distillery is acquired by Samuel Wilson Boyd who anticipating the end of US prohibition gears up the distillery up for expansion and increases production
1939: The distillery again falls silent for the duration of the war
1972: Bushmills joins Irish Distillers Group which was formed in 1966 and floor maltings ceases
1987: Pernod Ricard acquires Irish Distillers.
2005: Diageo acquires Bushmills
2014: Jose Cuervo acquires Bushmills
Useful Bushmills links:
Interesting Bushmills links:
Can I tour Bushmills?
Yes Bushmills distillery is tourable. On Trip Advisor the distillery has been rated as excellent by 1481 of 2,740 tours to date. This gives Bushmills an overall rating of 4.5
Latest reviews
Move On
by Desmond W
Union flags everywhere , yet famous for Irish whiskey lol. , Shop sold. Out irish news they say , not welcomed tourists flags say ha
Old Country's Whiskey Is Smooth as Velvet
by Jeffry B
Bushmills is said to be the oldest licensed distillery in the world, and they certainly produce a good drop, The distillery is in County Antrim, on the northern coast of Ireland. The secret is the pure water, which rains from the storm-lashed skies over the Atlantic. I must say the tour was memorable, I discovered many things I didn't know about Irish whiskey. Bushmills is now owned by a Mexican firm. Following our tasting I have developed a liking for the silky-smooth Old Bushmills, which is indeed smoother than Scotch.
Visit the Oldest Licensed Distillery in the World
by Igal27
We really enjoyed our tour of the Bushmills Distillery in Northern Ireland, the oldest licensed distillery in the world. We went on the tour with our kids, who also enjoyed -- although they of course did not get to partake in the whisky tasting at the end of the tour :-) I just really don't understand why they don't let you take pictures in the distillery during the tour...
| Rating | Reviews |
|---|---|
| Excellent | 1,481 |
| Very good | 900 |
| Average | 260 |
| Poor | 64 |
| Terrible | 35 |
Previous
Next