Bushmills – Ireland's oldest distillery

Old Bushmills has held a licence to distil since 1608, which is the line on every bottle and the basis for its claim to be the world’s oldest licensed whiskey distillery. The licence went to Sir Thomas Phillips, from King James I, to distil ‘aquavite’ in the area. The company that actually runs the place came later – Hugh Anderson formally founded it in 1784 – but the 1608 date is the one that draws people in, and the distillery has earned its keep on the River Bush ever since.

The site has two distilleries now. The historic Old Distillery still works, and in April 2023 a £37 million plant, the Causeway Distillery, opened beside it and doubled production capacity. If you only do one thing here, do a guided tour of the working distillery rather than just browsing the shop – seeing and smelling the process is the point, and the shop will still be there afterwards.

The tour

Tours run between 40 minutes and an hour, in small groups, and take you across the malt-milling floor, past the mash tuns, into the still house where the spirit is triple-distilled in copper pot stills, and through the warehouses where the casks sit. Guides cover the things that actually distinguish the whiskey: the 58-hour fermentation in the washbacks, why triple distillation gives a lighter, smoother spirit than most Scottish malts, and how the casks are chosen, from ex-bourbon barrels to Spanish Oloroso sherry. Every tour ends with a tasting of a single malt or a blend.

One thing worth knowing before you book: the standard tour covers about a kilometre and more than 150 steps, so it isn’t a good fit for anyone with restricted mobility. Children under eight aren’t allowed on the guided tour at all, though they can go into the shop. Premium tastings are an adult-only add-on.

Walk-in tickets are sold first come, first served, but summer slots fill fast – book ahead if you’re travelling in July or August, or arrive early. Groups of 12 or more must book in advance with a deposit. The last tour leaves at 4pm even though the shop stays open until 5pm, so don’t turn up at half four expecting to get round.

Tastings and the shop

The shop carries the full range, including the Distillery Reserve 12-year single malt sold only on site, the 1608 special edition, and limited 21-year bottlings. The wider range runs from Bushmills Original (a blend) and the sherry-rich Black Bush through single malts at 10, 12, 16 and 21 years, plus limited releases like the Causeway Collection and the Steamship Series. There’s branded glassware and local chocolate too, if you want a present that isn’t a bottle.

How the whiskey is made

• Water – drawn from Saint Columb’s Rill, a tributary of the River Bush.
• Triple distillation – three passes through copper pot stills, the step behind the lighter, smoother house style.
• Maturation – casks rest in a network of warehouses, with finishes including ex-bourbon, Oloroso sherry, port, Madeira, acacia wood and rum (the Steamship Series).
• Master blender – Helen Mulholland became Ireland’s first female master blender in 2021.

A bit of history

Bushmills has burned down, closed and changed hands more times than most. The early company shut for spells – the records show no activity in 1802 or 1822 – before Belfast merchants James McColgan and Patrick Corrigan bought it in 1860. A fire in 1885 destroyed the original buildings; they were rebuilt fast, and that rebuild is largely what stands today. In the late 1800s the distillery ran its own steamship, the SS Bushmills, to export the whiskey, the vessel now remembered in the Steamship Series.

Prohibition in the United States, from 1920 to 1933, hit sales hard, but director Wilson Boyd’s stockpiles carried it through. Ownership later ran through Isaac Wolfson, then Irish Distillers in 1972, then Pernod Ricard in 1988. Diageo paid £200 million for the brand in 2005 and swapped it to Proximo Spirits in 2014, who built the new Causeway Distillery.

Getting there

The distillery is at 2 Distillery Road, Bushmills, BT57 8XH, just off the A2 coastal route, about an hour and 97km north of Belfast. Remember the North signs in miles, not kilometres, if you’re driving up from the Republic. There’s free parking on site.

Buses run from Belfast and Derry to Bushmills, stopping a short walk from the gate. By train, the Belfast–Coleraine line gets you to Coleraine, and a local bus or taxi covers the last leg.

Nearby

You’re in the thick of the Causeway Coast here, so build a day around it. The Giant’s Causeway is within a 10-minute drive, as are Dunluce Castle and Mussenden Temple on the Downhill Demesne. The Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge and White Park Bay beach are about 15 minutes on. The Bushmills Inn in the village does AA-Rosette dining if you want lunch nearby, and the whole stretch links up along the Antrim Coast and Glens route.

Practical information

Opening hours – Monday to Saturday 10am–5pm, Sunday 11am–5pm. The last tour leaves at 4pm and the shop closes at 5pm. Hours may vary on public holidays.

Tickets – Adult tours £15–£50 depending on the experience; seniors (60+) and students £8.50–£20; children 6–17 £6. Children under eight are not permitted on guided tours but may visit the shop. Premium tastings cost extra and are adults only. Prices are correct at the time of writing; check before travelling.

Facilities – Free parking, toilets, Wi-Fi, baby-changing rooms and the shop.

Contact – For group bookings or enquiries, call +44 (0) 28 207 33218 or email distillery.tours@bushmills.com.