Old Bushmills Distillery
The Old Bushmills Distillery in the town of Bushmills, County Antrim, Northern Ireland is currently owned by Casa Cuervo of Mexico after being sold by Diageo in 2014, just 9 short years after its purchase from Pernod Ricard.
Bushmills currently produces 8 different whiskeys but historically has produced 84 different iterations.
The company that originally built the distillery was formed in 1784, however the date 1608 you see today on the label refers to the first time a royal license to distill was granted to a local landowner.
After various periods of closure, the distillery has been continuously distilling since being rebuilt after a fire in 1885.
The stills and stainless steel mash tuns at Bushmills run seven days a week. Their malt and water are from St. Columb’s Rill, an area named for the river which is a tributary of the much more famous River Bush. Hence the name Bushmills. The mill on the River Bush.
The washbacks at Bushmills are not made of traditional wood but of stainless steel. They are closed and the carbon dioxide that develops during fermentation is led outside.
Bushmills is currently expanding their operation which looks set to include 29 new maturation warehouses while investing in equipment to double distilling capacity over the next 10-15 years.
Bushmills is situated along The Wild Atlantic Way near the natural phenomenon called “Giant’s Causeway”. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986, it is located just minutes from the distillery.
The distillery has a purpose-built visitors centre with around 120,000 visitors per year.
Bushmills may or may not produce the whiskey sold by a certain well-known mixed martial arts fighter. We will neither confirm nor deny.