Bushmills Distillery
The Old Bushmills Distillery in the village of Bushmills in County Antrim is the oldest licensed whiskey distillery in the world, a claim supported by a grant of distilling rights issued in 1608 by King James I that makes the Bushmills operation the earliest formally documented whiskey distillery in recorded history. The distillery produces a range of single malt and blended Irish whiskies that are sold internationally, and the visitor experience it offers is one of the finest distillery tours in Ireland, combining the historic credentials of the site with a thorough and accessible explanation of the whiskey-making process.
The distillery stands on the bank of the St Columb's Rill, a small stream whose waters contribute to the character of Bushmills whiskey, in the centre of the village that takes its name from the mill on the bush river nearby. The current buildings date primarily from the nineteenth century, the original distillery having been destroyed by fire and rebuilt on several occasions, but the overall impression of a working Victorian distillery with its brick warehouses, malting floors and copper pot stills has been carefully maintained. The distinctive smell of fermenting mash and the distinctive sweetness of maturing spirit in the bonded warehouses are among the sensory experiences that make distillery visits so compelling.
The tour covers the full whiskey-making process from malting the barley through to the triple distillation in copper pot stills that gives Irish whiskey its characteristic smoothness, the maturation in bourbon and sherry casks and the blending that produces the finished product. The tasting at the end of the tour provides an opportunity to compare different expressions of the Bushmills range in the appropriate context.
The distillery's location near the Giant's Causeway, one of Ireland's most visited natural sites, makes it a natural stopping point on a Causeway Coast itinerary, and the village of Bushmills itself has several good restaurants and the Bushmills Inn hotel.