New meets old at Old Bushmills as expansion continues and ‘Causeway Distillery’ revealed
- Dec 8, 2020
- 2 min read
Established over 400 years ago, Bushmills is the oldest licensed distillery in Ireland. However, recent expansion plans and the reported registration of a new name ‘Causeway Distillery’ have caused a stir in the North Antrim community.
The history of the distillery dates back to 1608 when King James I granted a license to Sir Thomas Phillips to distill whiskey in the area of the River Bush in County Antrim.
Whiskey has been distilled in the area since at least the 13th century, when an Irish general supposedly held a drinking session before going into battle with his troops. Bushmills itself was not officially founded until 1784, and the distillery building was constructed in 1885 and has been making the famed whiskey ever since.
Today, the distillery is owned by Jose Cuervo, reflecting the growing international demand for Irish whiskey and the increasing global dominance of Irish businesses.
Last year plans for a new multi-million pound distillery in Bushmills were approved by Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council with the build currently underway. The expansion will effectively double Bushmills’ distilling capacity, allowing it to produce up to nine million litres of spirit per year.
During in the planning process, new web domains were registered by The Old Bushmills Distillery Company Limited:
In recent a recent move, The Old Bushmills Distillery Company Limited has submitted a trademark for examination for ‘The Causeway Distillery' under three classes which is due to be published for registration in the coming days assuming that there are no objections.
The goods and services classes submitted within the application are:
• Class 33 - Alcoholic beverages; spirits; whiskey; liqueurs.
• Class 40 - Spirits distillery services.
• Class 41 - Provision of visitors' attractions for entertainment purposes; provision of visitors' attractions for cultural purposes; conducting guided tours of distilleries; arranging and conducting of whiskey tasting events; entertainment relating to whiskey tasting.
When asked for comment from the distillery's PR company on the trademark and domains, they said: "This is commercially sensitive information and we
are not in a position to discuss further."
