Bushmills: Four Hundred Years in the Making

[irishwhiskeychaser]

FYI: Peter Mulryans' new book 'Bushmills: Four Hundred Years in the Making'

is now out.

Have not got it myself but I'm sure Peter has done a good job.

Check out your nearest book store

or

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bushmills-Four-Hundred-Years-Making/dp/1847580688/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1214485278&sr=1-1

[Ian Buxton]

At first glance it looks excellent. Haven't started to read but it's nicely produced, well illustrated and has a quality feel.
Pretty soon there will be a few copies to be won on - guess where - [url]www.thewhiskychannel.com[/url]

Haven't put them up yet, but will do soon so if you're interested check the site and move fast! The 5 Bruichladdich books went in double quick time.

[irishwhiskeychaser]

Thanks Ian ...


I'll probably be too slow again though

[Iain]

400 years of Bushmills ???

[Ian Buxton]

We'll do them one at a time to drag out the suspense and make sure everyone gets a go.
First one up now! (Don't all rush at once.)

[DavidH]

Anyone else read this yet?

It is a very well-written book. It doesn't overwhelm with historical production statistics but it doesn't attempt to over-simplify the story with half-truths or omissions either. It achieves a good balance, keeping the story cracking along nicely while seemingly not leaving out anything important.

Though it was commissioned by Bushmills it doesn't gloss over the less rosy parts of the company's history. From a whiskey standpoint, it's just as solid as you would expect from Peter Mulryan.

The guy has a bit of a cheesecake obsession too If I get up to the distillery cafe I'll be sure to try it.

Two thumbs up!

[Pure Pot Head]

Just out of curiosity, how do they address the whole 400years of production issue?

I remember looking into this a few years ago and as best as I could ascertain, and I'm really open to correction on this - in fact I'm hoping for some added knowledge through any replies that come through - when Queen Elisebeth 1st secured a sort of definitive rule over Ireland in 1607, she handed out various licences as rewards to generals as was the practice. And that four whiskey related licences were granted, one for roughly each of the four provinces. My question is, what is the direct link between this granting of licences, as refered to in the 1608 date on the bottle, to what is the current distillery at Bushmills. I find it hard to trace the exact steps. (Suppose I need to buy the book!)

Pure Pot Head

[Iain]

My question is, what is the direct link between this granting of licences, as refered to in the 1608 date on the bottle, to what is the current distillery at Bushmills.

PPH, sad fact is there is no direct link. It's all bollocks.

You can find more info in Jim Murray's book Classic Irish Whisky, pp53-61 - he points out that the Bushmills story, if you accept the truth of it, means that the other Irish distilleries could also claim a foundation date of 1608.

And if you follow the Bushmills logic then Cooley's, having had its "licence" granted one month earlier than Bushmills, is the oldest distillery in Ireland and the world. Even though it was built in 1989!

[irishwhiskeychaser]

In fairness to Mulryan ... he mentions in this book that Bushmills Distillery has no direct link to the 1608 licence to distil. However the Bushmills marketing Department continue to use this ludicrous date as some sort of Badge of honour . They have even decided to redesign the bottle to incorporate the impressed date of 1608

What is true is Bushmills (The Town) has had long links to distilling and obviously pre-date 1608 but that would of been prevalent all over the celtic kingdom which include current day Scotland and Ireland. There is no direct proof of a continuous distillery working in the Bushmills area from that date through to modern times.

I even have suspicions that the original Establishment date of 1784 that was used pre 60's maybe tentative. But it appears there is evidence that there was a distillery established on the current site in 1784. But numerous distilleries opened and closed i Bushmills during these times.

1761 is the first time that any sort of registration methods were used so we'll probably will never know what was going on prior to that to any certain. However even then is was voluntary so not conclusive. 1766 saw 45 registered distilleries in the Coleraine area which include 4 in the Bushmills area but it is thought that at least twice that many existed in te entire area. How Bushmills can attach it self to any single one is questionable.

I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for 1784 but anything prior to that is pure wishful thinking.


All in all it's a well writen and nice book and has a good history on Bushmills.