You can only visit the Old Bushmills (Whiskey) Distillery as part of a guided tour, so that’s what I did.
Travel advice and accommodation tips in Bushmills, now updated.
I did the Distillery Tour and backpacked the Giant’s Causeway, whilst staying at what was the Bushmills YHA, part of the Youth Hostel Association of NI, now under new management, as the “Bushmills Hostel.”
A great option for budget travellers and backpackers.
Bushmills is the oldest licensed whiskey distillery in the world and has been producing whiskey under license for more than 400 years, since 1608, to be precise, with the knowledge being passed down from generation to generation.
Bushmills is more than just a whiskey. It’s a village where its residents work alongside each other at the distillery, and they say, “Without the village, there would be no whiskey, and without the whiskey, there would be no village”.
Fun fact: Bushmills was previously owned by Pernod Ricard and Diageo, but since 2014, it has been owned by Jose Cuervo, who produces Tequila in Mexico.
In the mid-19th century, there were 88 licensed distilleries in Ireland. By the mid-1980s, there were just two, and in 2013, there were four.
Since then, there has been a big comeback, and by 2014, there were eight operating distilleries.
It is said that there are now 40 distilleries producing whiskey, though not all are available yet, as Whiskey takes time.
Of the 40, besides Bushmills, I have heard of only Jameson and Tullamore.
The second favourite tipple of Sean Dillon, a fictional Irish character who is the hero of a series of Jack Higgins novels, just happens to be Bushmills Irish Whiskey
The Bushmills Distillery Tour
They run guided tours which you have to sign up for. You can’t just go wandering around on your own.
Book your Bushmills Distillery Tour before you go to avoid being turned away, as each tour has a limited number of people allowed.
It’s a short walk from the Bushmills YHA Hostel.
The Bushmills Distillery Tour: Is It Worth It?
If you are a travel blogger, note that photography is not allowed.
If you are a whiskey aficionado, then it’s totally worth it.
You get to learn about the different stages involved in producing Bushmills Whiskey, about the differences between Irish Whiskey and Scotch Whisky and the meaning of ‘Blended’ and ‘Single Malt’.
And to top it off, at the end of the tour, you get a free drink at the Bushmills Bar.
Enjoying a glass of Bushmills Distillery Reserve 12, which is only available at the bar here.
A pint of Guinness and a Bushmills on the side at The Nook pub, which I visited after backpacking the Giant’s Causeway:
How to get to Bushmills
Having your own wheels would be the ultimate way to get to Bushmills and explore in full the rest of Northern Ireland.
You can get from Belfast to Portrush via Coleraine by train, and then catch a bus. That’s what I did. Trains run out of Grand Central Station from 6 am.
Coming the other way, buses run from Ballycastle.
I found the schedules pretty good, but of course you might be hanging around quite a bit.
Check the schedules and buy your tickets for the trains and buses on https://www.translink.co.uk/
Good stuff. I rarely drink but when I do it is usually Guinness. One of the few beers I actually enjoy. Looks like it takes a village to make this whiskey. Amazing to be around for 400 years in such a competitive business. I see distilleries all over the States, alone. Especially as you head towards the Deep South.
Ryan, have you heard of Lagavulin? The distillery is in Islay. Would love to make it there one day. Picked up a bottle in duty free for my wife a few years ago.