Posted on 2019-12-10
The Old Bushmills Distillery is a distillery in Bushmills, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, that is owned by Casa Cuervo of Mexico. The distillery uses water drawn from Saint Columb's Rill, which is a tributary of the River Bush and is a popular tourist attraction, with around 120,000 visitors per year.
The company that originally built the distillery was formed in 1784, although the date 1608 is printed on the label of the brand – referring to an earlier date when a royal licence was granted to a local landowner to distil whiskey in the area.
After various periods of closure in its subsequent history, the distillery has been in continuous operation since it was rebuilt after a fire in 1885.
Some Bushmills offerings have performed well at international Spirit rating competitions. In particular, their Black Bush Finest Blended Whiskey received double gold medals at the 2007 and 2010 San Francisco World Spirits Competitions. It also received a well-above-average score of 93 from the Beverage Testing Institute in 2008 and 2011.