Bushmills toasts 400 years with new blend

Home
> News

News

Thursday, December 27, 2007

A Scottish drinks expert yesterday raised a glass in celebration of the famous Irish distillery that is preparing to mark its 400th anniversary.

Gordon Donoghue (48), a Glaswegian, is director of Bushmills on the north Antrim coast, where 10,000 cases of specially blended whiskey are about to be distributed for sale worldwide.

The chemist spent nearly 30 years working with distillers in his home country before moving to Northern Ireland to head-up the operation which dates back to 1608.

The birthday bottles of smooth malt and grain whiskey, which carry a slight hint of vanilla and toffee caramel, will go down a treat according to Mr Donoghue.

"This," he claimed, "is as good as it gets. We wanted to produce something really different and I think we've achieved that.

"I've tasted a few blends in my time and there have been few to match this.

"But this celebration is not just about the whiskey. It's about the history and heritage, the pride and craftsmanship of Bushmills."

The distillery is Ireland's oldest and next April 20 marks the 400th anniversary when King James I granted Sir Thomas Phillips a licence to distil, even though the area's sheep farmers were already secretly at work - just like today's makers of the illegal spirit, poteen.

The red carpet is also being rolled out on July 4 for the 125 staff and their families and plans are under way to establish a twinning arrangement with a town in the United States. A new book on the history of Bushmills is being written as well.

The Bushmills distillery, close to the Giants Causeway, attracts 120,000 visitors a year, but the numbers are expected to swell once the anniversary bottles start appearing on the shelves.

All 150 were sold out within an hour in a dry-run earlier this month.

Half of Bushmills sales are in the United States and Ireland but its reputation is spreading, according to the distillery director.

Mr Donoghue added: "The real heritage of Irish whiskey is coming back to the fore where it belongs. Ten years ago comparatively few people outside the island of Ireland knew very little about it. It is no longer confined to its own little niche and has established itself, especially Bushmills as among the world's finest whiskies."