The Old Bushmills Distillery in Bushmills is the oldest working distillery in Ireland. Situated near the banks of the River Bush you’ll find the home of Irish Whiskey. Steeped in history and more importantly, that delicious golden liquid, the Bushmills Distillery run tours so you can see just how the whiskey is made. Tours run for 35 – 40 minutes at certain times throughout the day. Just go, get a ticket and you won’t be waiting very long before your tour guide appears to take a group around the facilities. The tour is fun, informative and just the perfect length. You’ll be taken through the whole process of making the whiskey, from the distilling process, to the casks or barrels which its stored in. When we went, our tour guide Laura was very conscious of health and safety, informing us of how many steps we’d be taking throughout the tour, doing head counts in every section and telling us if we had any problems to let her know. Once the tour is over you’re taken to the bar where you can exchange your ticket for a glass of whiskey of your choosing – original Bushmills, Black Bush, Bushmills Irish Honey, Bushmills 10 year or a special distillery reserve 12 year whiskey that’s only available at the distillery (or a soft drink or hot toddy if that’s what you prefer).
The only thing is, there’s no photography throughout the tour, except in the bar at the end and they don’t operate the bottling plant at the weekend, so if you go then you have to watch a short DVD instead of seeing the bottling in action. Overall, the tour was very good, not too long and quite light hearted. I was very impressed and I’d recommend it if you have an afternoon to spare. There’s also a ‘tasting experience’ where you can taste the various whiskeys on offer. Plus its only a few minutes from the Giant’s Causeway, Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge and may other local attractions so you can really make a day of it.
“In the small village of Bushmills, settled on the banks of the river you’ll find the oldest working distillery in Ireland. A place where family and friends have worked for generations, in a small Northern Irish villiage that for over 400 years has kept to the philosophy that hand crafting small batches is the way to produce beautifully smooth tasting Irish whiskey. Take a sip of any of the Bushmills whiskeys and you’ll see that they are spot on. In fact why not come and see for yourself just what hand crafting means?”
Facilities:
There is a restaurant called the Distillery Kitchen Restaurant on site, a gift shop and the 1608 bar where you can order a glass of whichever whiskey you desire (meaning you don’t have to fork out for a whole bottle just to try one of the more expensive varieties). There’s also free WiFi available in the reception, bar and restaurant areas.
Location:
Old Bushmills Distillery
2 Distillery road
Bushmills
Co. Antrim
Northern Ireland
BT57 8XH
How to get there:
The Old Bushmills Distillery is situated in the village of Bushmills in the North of Northern Ireland. It’s 20 minutes from Coleraine, 1 hour from Derry and 1hour 10 minutes from Belfast. Just put BT57 8XH into your sat nav and away you go
Parking:
There’s a pretty big car park on site, and parking is free so you don’t need to worry.
Opening Hours:
Prices:
Adult – £7.50
Child – £3.50
Student – £6
Senior – £6
Family – £20
(2 adults + 2 children)
Groups of 15 + people – £5.50 per person
Links:
Website – www.bushmills.com
Facebook – BushmillsUKIreland
Twitter – @BushmillsGlobal
Contact:
Telephone – +44 (0) 28 207 33218
Email – visitors.bushmills@diageo.com
