Bushmills

The Old Bushmills has been distilling whiskey from that date onwards, and the Old Bushmills Company was officially established in 1784. It is today part of the Diageo Spirits Group. The distillery is located in Bushmills, in Antrim County, North Ireland, a few miles away from the Giant’s Causeway, and the last operating distillery in North Ireland.

On trouvait dans la région une douzaine de distilleries au début du XXe siècle. On n’en dénombrait plus que trois dans les années 1950. La distillerie de Comber ferma ses portes en 1953 et celle de Coleraine en 1978. L’histoire de Bushmills est assez chaotique. Ses origines officielles remontent à 1608, mais on pense que la distillation était pratiquée à ce même endroit depuis le XIIe siècle.

In 1276, Sir Robert Savage, owner of the Bushmills town is said to have fortified his troops with "a mighty drop of acqua vitae". In 1490, the Book of Leinster mentions a local alcohol served in Bushmills town.

The distillery starts growing from 1860’s onwards, and is bought for a mere 500 Sterling Pounds. In 1855, a fire destroys partly the distillery, which is then rebuilt in the Scottish style of that time, with pagoda roofs typical of Scottish distilleries. At the same time, Bushmills stops the production of Irish pot still and manufactures Single Malts.