Old Bushmills Distillery, in the village of Bushmills on the north coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, has been producing Irish whiskey since a royal license to distil in the area was granted in 1608 - the basis for its claim as the world’s oldest licensed whiskey distillery, and, on the strength of its 1784 founding, one of the oldest working distillery operations in Ireland. A visit here pairs naturally with the Giant’s Causeway, a short drive away.
History
The 1608 date, printed on every bottle, is a licence, not a company. That year, King James I granted local landowner Sir Thomas Phillips a licence to distil “aqua vitae” in the surrounding area - a document, not a business, and there’s no unbroken continuity between it and any single building on today’s site. The Old Bushmills Distillery Company as an actual operating business was formed considerably later, in 1784, by Hugh Anderson - that founding date, not 1608, is when the distillery as visitors know it really begins.
The site hasn’t had an easy run since. A serious fire in 1885 destroyed much of the original distillery buildings, and the rebuild afterward used the same site and the same water source: St. Columb’s Rill, a tributary of the River Bush, whose local water is still credited as part of what gives Bushmills whiskey its character. Ownership has changed hands several times since - through Irish Distillers and then Diageo - and since 2015 the brand has been owned by Proximo Spirits, the US drinks company also behind Jose Cuervo tequila. The distillery itself has stayed in Bushmills throughout, regardless of who owns the name on the bottle.
One genuinely remarkable episode sits between those two changes of fortune. In 1890, under then-owner James Steen Boyd, the distillery bought and operated its own steamship, the SS Bushmills, to carry its whiskey to market directly - no other Irish distillery is known to have run its own vessel. The ship’s maiden voyage crossed the Atlantic to Philadelphia and New York, then continued on to Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Yokohama, delivering Bushmills whiskey to markets on three continents on a single trip.
Visiting Information
Opening hours: the distillery’s own site (bushmills.eu) currently lists gift shop and bar hours of Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 11am-5pm - a genuinely different set of hours from the tour schedule previously published here (9:30am-4:45pm Mon-Sat, 12-4:45pm Sun). It’s not clear whether these are two different things (gift shop hours vs. tour/distillery visiting hours) or whether the schedule has simply changed - the official site notes the on-site café has stopped operating, which suggests things have shifted recently. Confirm current tour times directly on the distillery’s booking page before travelling rather than relying on either figure.
Tour pricing: not independently confirmed against a primary source this pass - the official booking flow requires interacting with a live booking widget rather than a page that can be read directly. The three-tier structure below (previously sourced from search aggregation, not the distillery’s own site) is presented as indicative rather than current:
- 1-hour tour with tasting - from around £20 per adult
- 1.5-hour tour including a guided tasting of three whiskies
- 2.5-hour premium tour including a guided sampling of six whiskies - up to around £60 per adult
Confirmed age restrictions (direct from the distillery’s own site): children under 8 aren’t permitted on the guided tour, and under-18s aren’t permitted to accompany parents into the Premium Tasting. Groups of 12+ can book in advance (subject to availability and a deposit) via distillery.tours@bushmills.com.
Booking isn’t always required, but it’s recommended if you want to guarantee a place, particularly in peak season.
The Tour Experience
Heritage and History - Guides walk visitors through the distillery’s centuries of whiskey-making history, including its origins and the local stories behind it.
The Whiskey-Making Process - The tour covers each stage of production: malting the barley, crushing the grain, fermentation, and triple distillation through copper pot stills - the traditional Irish method, distilling three times rather than the twice more common in Scotch whisky, which Bushmills credits for its smoother finish. The route also passes through one of the distillery’s cask warehouses, where whiskey rests for years before bottling, with the guide explaining how the choice of cask (ex-bourbon, sherry, port, or Madeira, depending on the expression) shapes the final flavour.
Distillery Facilities - The tour takes in the historic cobbled courtyard, the working stills, traditional copper pot stills, and the blending rooms, along with an overview of the range of whiskeys produced on site. Most tours end with a complimentary tasting, typically a choice between Bushmills Original, Black Bush, or one of the aged malts, with a non-alcoholic option (a Bushmills-based cosmopolitan or hot toddy) usually available too.
The Whiskey Range
Bushmills produces two main styles: blends and single malt whiskeys. Bushmills Original and Black Bush are both blends, mixing malt whiskey with a lighter grain whiskey; Black Bush uses a higher proportion of malt, matured in a mix of Oloroso sherry and bourbon casks, giving it a noticeably richer, fruitier character than the Original. It’s a genuine award-winner, not just a marketing line - Black Bush took the top prize for Irish blends at the World Whisky Awards in both 2007 and 2010. Above the blends sit the single malt expressions: a 10 Year Old, matured mainly in bourbon casks; a more complex 16 Year Old, finished across bourbon, sherry, and port casks; and a prestige 21 Year Old, finished in Madeira casks, aimed squarely at whiskey collectors rather than casual drinkers.
Getting There
Bushmills is about 60 miles (97km) north of Belfast, just off the A2, roughly 3 miles from the Giant’s Causeway. The distillery is the prominent landmark in the village centre and is well signposted from Main Street.
By car: follow signs for Bushmills from the A2; parking is available nearby.
By public transport: regular bus services run from Belfast to Coleraine with connections to Bushmills. Alternatively, take the train from Belfast to Coleraine and transfer to a bus or taxi for the final leg.
By tour: several guided tour operators include Old Bushmills Distillery as a stop, often combined with the Giant’s Causeway, departing from Belfast or other tourist hubs.
Check current local transport timetables before travelling, as services can change.
