BUSHMILLS

Hugh Anderson officially registered the Old Bushmills Distillery whiskey production had already taken place here for a long time.

In 1850s a malt tax introduced - drastically increasing the price of the malted barley. Many Irish distilleries changed their production starting to use grain as well Bushmills stick to its original recipes.

A big fire destroyed the Old Bushmills Distillery in 1885, but Bushmills distillery was rebuilt soon and started production again.

Bushmills Whiskey made an impression on some of the most prolific authors of the time. Bushmills gets a mention in Ulysses and, not surprisingly, in On Booze.

World War II halted production as Allied troops were billeted at the Bushmills distillery. Meanwhile in Belfast, a bomb hit our head office destroying all our archives.

In 1972 Irish Distillers Company took control over all Irish whiskey production and also controlled Bushmills distillery.

In 1988 the French group Pernod Ricard purchased Irish Distillers who sold Bushmills distillery in 2005 to Diageo.

In 2008 for the 400th anniversary of the Bushmills Distillery, the Bank of Ireland put the Old Bushmills Distillery on its new banknotes.

In November 2014 news came up that Diageo had sold Bushmills distillery to Mexican spirit giant Jose Cuervo, owner of a famous tequila.

• 1608 King James I granted Sir Thomas Phillips - landowner and Governor of Co. Antrim, Ireland – a license to distil.
• 1784 The Old Bushmills Distillery is founded by Hugh Anderson.
• 1885 A disastrous fire destroyed The Old Bushmills Distillery.
• 1880 - early 1900s Old Bushmills’ ‘celebrated malt whisky’ wins numerous prizes in international spirits competitions.
• 1923 Belfast merchant Samuel Wilson bought the Bushmills Distillery knowing one day he’d make his fortune.
• 1939 - 1945 World War II halted production as Allied troops were billeted at the Bushmills distillery.
• 1950s - 1960s Production resumed after the war and Bushmills distillery became increasingly popular.
• 1972 the Bushmills distillery became a part of Irish Distillers Group.
  
• 2008 For the 400th anniversary of the Bushmills Distillery, the Bank of Ireland put the Old Bushmills Distillery on its new banknotes.

The Bushmills distillery is equipped with ten big pot stills and six spirit safes are the heart of the Old Bushmills Distillery and they perform the triple distillation that is typical for Bushmills whiskey.

Production is modern and computerized at Bushmills distillery and it only needs one man to conduct the fermentation- and distillation process.

The Bushmills distillery's core range consist of:

• 10 yo
• 16 yo
• 21 yo
• Black Bush
• Bushmill's Original