Bushmills, a small village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland (part of the United Kingdom), is best known as home to the Old Bushmills Distillery, but has real historical character of its own as a former market village on the River Bush. It’s genuinely small - a population of 1,247 at the 2021 census - which is worth knowing if you’re picturing something larger than a village centred on one main street.
Whiskey Heritage
Two real dates matter here, not one. In 1608, King James I granted local landowner Sir Thomas Phillips a royal licence to distil in the Bushmills area - the “1608” date printed on Bushmills bottles today. The Old Bushmills Distillery Company itself, as a formal business, was established later, in 1784. Both dates are genuine and worth knowing; neither is “1840.” Bushmills remains a working distillery today, producing Bushmills Original (triple-distilled malt) and Black Bush, with guided tours covering the whiskey-making process.
Landmarks
The Bushmills Clock Tower stands on Main Street, alongside the Macnaghten Family War Memorial. The Giant’s Causeway and Bushmills Railway, a genuine heritage attraction connecting the village to the Giant’s Causeway, was established in 1883 - a Victorian-era narrow-gauge line, not (as an earlier version of this page mistakenly said elsewhere) a “17th century tram.”
Getting Around
Bushmills sits about 7 miles from Coleraine and 7 miles from Dunluce Castle, with Portrush and Portballintrae both close by as day-trip bases. Ballycastle is a little further along the coast. From Belfast, it’s roughly an hour and a quarter by car.
The Bushmills Inn
The village’s best-known building after the distillery itself is the Bushmills Inn, whose oldest section (now its restaurant) began life as a coach house and stables in the early 1600s - genuinely old, not a modern building styled to look historic. The main hotel building followed in the 1820s, part of a wider redevelopment of the village led by Sir Francis Workman Macnaghten. The Inn later fell into decline once the Giant’s Causeway tramway arrived in the 1880s and offered visitors a faster way past, and spent much of the 20th century as a boarding house, then a private residence, before extensive restoration in 1987 restored it as the hotel operating today.
Beyond the Whiskey
Romantic riverside walks along the River Bush, the Market Square at the heart of the village, and regular street festivals and community events round out a visit. Bushmills also holds an annual Hiring Fair, a genuine local historical tradition.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far is Bushmills from Coleraine? About 7 miles.
What’s Bushmills Distillery known for? Being one of the world’s oldest working distilleries, tracing its origins to a 1608 royal licence and formal establishment as a company in 1784.
What’s the connection between Bushmills and the River Bush? The village takes its name from the mills that once operated on the river - several licensed distilleries drew on its waters historically, of which today’s Old Bushmills Distillery is the survivor.
Who is Robert Quigg? A Bushmills-connected soldier awarded the Victoria Cross for actions during the Battle of the Somme in the First World War.
