Ancient distillery lures travelling whiskey fans
The Australian, November 2007
It's 10 a.m. in the sleepy Northern Ireland village of Bushmills and I'm weaving along streets of sturdy stone houses on a crisp autumn morning in search of my first drink of the day. Just to clarify: I don't usually indulge this early, but it just happens to be the first available time for a public tour of the region's most celebrated whiskey producer.
Marking its 400th anniversary next year, Bushmills Distillery claims to be the world's oldest licensed still, receiving its royal warrant from a thirsty James 1 of England in 1608. Since then, the company has steadily (or perhaps unsteadily) converted generations of whiskey virgins, easing them into the firewater fray with its famously smooth, triple-distilled recipes.
When I amble though the main entrance of a complex that resembles an old farm mated with a high-tech duct factory, my guide is already waiting. A twinkle-eyed retired schoolteacher, Brian welcomes me with a solid handshake and a warning that cellphones must be turned off. Apparently, the alcohol vapour hanging in the atmosphere could be ignited by a spark.
Musing on whether I can sneak my first drink by licking the air, I'm quickly ushered in for an introductory movie that treats whiskey - spelled with an 'e' in Ireland, unlike its Scottish brother - as the lifeblood of local existence.
First "discovered" by 13th-century monks with too much time on their hands, I learn that Irish history and whiskey history are virtually synonymous. The movie depicts bearded medieval warriors - the kind of brawny fellas you still see in most local pubs on a Friday night - knocking back a few drafts before going into battle. This might explain why Ireland has never had much of an empire.
After the short movie, Brian returns to lead me though the rest of the plant, starting with an explanation on the crucial differences between the Irish and Scottish tipples. While Scottish malts often have a smoky, peat-infused finish and are usually distilled twice, its Irish counterpart is often sweeter and almost always smoother, due to a third distillation cycle.
My appetite fully whetted, Brian continues to explain the process before letting me anywhere near a drink. Once a hive of labour-intensive activity, the few workers I pass along the way are mostly staring at computer screens. Production - running 24 hours a day in three shifts - is largely automated and just needs monitoring by the occasional human eye. Although many employees look fairly bored, I learn that each receives a gratis bottle every month, so I don't feel too sorry for them.
Many of the rooms we enter have a functional, industrial feel but the colourful distillation area meets my visual expectations for a distillery. A forest of 20-metre-high copper pot stills, each shaped like a witch's hat, this is where the whiskey's purity and concentration is regulated. The rocket fuel produced after the third distillation here is an eye-watering 85 per cent proof, but it's later reduced - with the addition of local water - to around 40 per cent.
At this stage, the liquid is as clear as moonshine and only gains its distinctive amber colouring - as well as many of its subtle flavours - when added to the all-important barrels in the operation's next area, a shady barn full of piled-high wooden casks.
Bushmills imports used barrels from around the world, favouring US casks from Jack Daniels or Jim Beam to lend a light hue and vanilla-esque flavour to its popular Original blend. In contrast, sherry barrels from Spain add dark, oaky notes to its richer Black Bush tipple. The unrinsed barrels are used up to three times before being sold off to a local furniture maker.
After a penultimate stroll through the noisy bottling area, during which I generously offer to dispose of any products failing to meet quality control (an offer that's strangely refused), we roll into the tasting bar for the tour's long-anticipated finale.
The 1608 Bar is a convivial, pub-like room where trays of copper-colored nectar are offered to the parched masses. The tasting includes small samples of Original and Black Bush - the former turns out to be smooth, light and an ideal first-timer's whiskey, while the latter is richer and almost like liquid Christmas cake. Visitors are also given a drinks ticket that can be exchanged for a full-sized draft at the bar. The special 12-year-old single malt is popular at this stage, since it's only available on-site.
As Brian departs to pick-up another tour, I sit back and enjoy the chatty pub atmosphere, then wander over to the adjoining gift shop. Fuzzy-headed enough to seriously consider buying a pair of plush Bushmills slippers, I quickly escape back to the bar to hang out with the merry imbibers. Drinking before noon may have its downsides, but it certainly loosens the tongue enough to make a few dozen new friends.
If you go:
Bushmills Distillery is in the village of Bushmills, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Hour-long tours run from 9.30am to 5pm Monday to Saturday and noon to 5pm Sunday between April and October, and on a reduced schedule of between four and six tours per day from November to March. Tickets are from