Liquid History

Forget Scotland! The Home of Single Malt Whiskey is Ireland

In this video, we trace back the history of single malt whiskey 400 years and to the tip of the island.

Quietly for the last 400 years, Bushmills has been making deliciously complex single malt whiskey. 

The distillery has been producing the spirit for so long, it’s seen the fortunes of its signature spirit rise and fall and rise yet again. 

While Scottish distillers adopted single malt and made it their own, for decades Bushmills was the only Irish distiller to make the whiskey, which ensured the style didn’t disappear. Keeping with traditional practices, the whiskey is distilled three times and the malted barley is never peated. (Across the way, the Scots usually distill their spirit twice and use smoke to dry their barley.)

Located at the top of Ireland on the banks of a tributary to the River Bush, the distillery is surrounded by some of the world’s most breathtaking scenery. And the water, refreshingly pure, is naturally filtered over a bed of basalt rock. It’s just a short drive to the famous Giant’s Causeway, which is made of the same stone.

The Bushmills range of single malts is now sought after by whiskey drinkers and bartenders. While fans of these spirits tried to keep them on the down low, the secret is now out.

So watch this short documentary to learn more about the history of Irish single malt and Bushmills’ important role in keeping the category alive. It features the brand’s master distiller Colum Egan and master blender Helen Mulholland as well as the Daily Beast’s Half Full editor Noah Rothbaum and bartenders Joanna Carpenter and Adam Fournier. Slainte!