BUSHMILLS DISTILLERY

The history of Bushmills a storied one, steeped in history. In 1608, King James I of England granted Sir Thomas Phillips the governor of Bushmills, County Antrim in Northern Ireland a license to distill on his territory. Even in those early years, before the Old Bushmills Distillery Company was officially established (Hugh Anderson did so in 1784, and registered the first-ever trademark for the pot still), historical accounts show that a great quantity of whiskey was produced there. And though several events including a disastrous fire in 1885, as well as World War II halted production at the Old Bushmills Distillery, the distillery determinedly fought on. Bushmills remains an icon in Irish Whiskey, its picturesque facilities are a popular tourist destination. The United States was a very important market for Bushmills (as well as other Irish Whiskey producers) in the 20th century. In 1920 when Prohibition hit, the Irish Whiskey industry suffered a massive blow, that Bushmills resiliently managed to survive. This was largely due in part to Wilson Boyd -Bushmills director at the time- who (predicting the end of Prohibition) made the intsightful decision to rack up large stores of whiskey ready to export. The distillery was purchased by Isaac Wolfson at the end of World War II. Then the Irish Whiskey industry dried to a trickle. Bushmills was one of only two distilleries in Ireland in 1972, until it was taken over by Irish Distillers. This gave Irish Distillers complete control of whiskey production in Ireland. In June 1988, Irish Distillers was bought by French liquor group Pernod Ricard, and then in June 2005, the distillery was bought by Diageo. Bushmills is now in the hands of Jose Cuervo, and celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2008. Bushmills Single Malt Whiskey 10 year old is triple distilled from 100 percent malted barley and matured for at least 10 years in bourbon season barrels which give it its honey, vanilla and milk chocolate aroma. Have it neat, over ice, or even frozen. Pick up your bottle today!