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Founded | 1784 Ireland |
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Headquarters | Bushmills, County Antrim, Northern Ireland |
Products | Irish whiskey |
Parent | Proximo Spirits |
Website | www.bushmills.com |
The Old Bushmills Distillery is an alcohol (primarily Irish whiskey) distillery in Bushmills, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, founded in 1784 and owned by Proximo Spirits. Bushmills Distillery uses water drawn from Saint Columb's Rill, which is a tributary of the River Bush. The distillery is a popular tourist attraction, with around 120,000 visitors per year. It produces the Bushmills brand of Irish whiskey.
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.[1][2] After various periods of closure in its subsequent history, the distillery has been in approximately continuous operation since it was rebuilt after a fire in 1885.[3]
1917: Owing to food shortages throughout Great Britain, the distilling of whiskey in Ireland is suspended.