Bushmills Distillery

Bushmills puts the year 1608 on its labels and calls itself the oldest licensed distillery in the world. Historians have been politely rolling their eyes at that date for years. What nobody disputes is that Old Bushmills Distillery has been working on the River Bush, a short drive from the Giant’s Causeway in County Antrim, since 1784, and that its three bottles we have reviewed score between 72 and 78. That is a stronger record than most distilleries with a better origin story.

Who owns Bushmills Distillery?

Bushmills is owned by Proximo Spirits, the US-based drinks company founded by the family behind Jose Cuervo, which is an unexpected home for a Northern Irish whiskey. Diageo owned the brand from 2005, and in 2014 it traded Bushmills to Proximo in exchange for the half of Don Julio tequila it did not already own. The trademarks sit with The Old Bushmills Distillery Company Limited. For the full cast of owners across the industry, see our guide to who owns what in whisky.

The history of Bushmills Distillery

The 1608 date comes from a licence to distil said to have been granted by James I, but the licence went to a local landowner, Sir Thomas Phillips, not to the company, and there is no neat line from that to the distillery you can visit today. The company itself dates from 1784, when a distillery was established at Bushmills in County Antrim. A fire in 1885 destroyed much of it, and the distillery has run more or less continuously since it was rebuilt. If you want the wider story of how Irish whiskey fell apart and came back, our history of Irish whiskey’s collapse and comeback is the place to go.

How Bushmills is made

Bushmills is triple distilled in copper pot stills, the classic Irish route to a light, smooth spirit, and the distillery says it draws its water from St Columb’s Rill, a tributary of the River Bush. Its single malts are made from malted barley, and its blends marry malt whiskey with grain whiskey. Our guide to how whisky is made explains what all of that means.

Single malt and blend

The Irish whiskey rulebook allows several styles, and Bushmills makes two of them. The single malts are all malt from one distillery, and the blends mix malt with grain. Black Bush is the clever one: it is a blend with a high proportion of malt that has spent time in sherry casks, which is why it tastes like it costs more than it does.

The Bushmills range

• Original (40% ABV), the entry blend. Our Bushmills Original review scored it 72 at about £21.
• Black Bush (40%), the malt-heavy, sherried blend. Our Black Bush review scored it 78 at about £28, the best of the three, and we called it a bargain.
• 10 Year Old (40%), a single malt. Our Bushmills 10 Year Old review scored it 77 at about £35.
• 16 Year Old and 21 Year Old, older single malts for when you are feeling generous, plus limited releases such as the Crystal Malt.

New to Irish whiskey? Our beginner’s guide to Irish whiskey shows where Bushmills fits.

How to drink Bushmills

Original is light, fruity and smooth, which makes it an easy mixer and a perfectly good highball. Black Bush is rich and sherried, and very smooth for the money, so it is just as happy neat as in a cocktail. The 10 Year Old is smooth and honeyed and does not try too hard, which is a compliment. The full tasting notes are in the reviews above.

Visiting Bushmills Distillery

The distillery is in the village of Bushmills in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, a few miles from the Giant’s Causeway, so you can do both in a day. A travel guide lists a standard tour at about £17, lasting around 90 minutes, and a premium tour at around £40 that runs for two and a half hours. Reported opening hours are Monday to Saturday from about 10am to 4.45pm and Sunday from about 11am, with the last tour leaving around 4pm. Tours can sell out, so book through the distillery’s website and check the current prices and times before you go.

Bushmills Distillery: quick answers