You cannot say “Ireland” without saying “whiskey”, can you? I must admit that I am not a big whiskey fan. But I was still a fan of our stop in Bushmills, where the oldest Whiskey distillery in the world is located. It turns out Bushmills and its surroundings have more to offer than just whiskey…
Whiskey tasting at The Old Bushmills Distillery
When you are so close to the oldest whiskey distillery of Ireland (and the world), you have to drop by. At The Old Bushmills Distillery, which is located in the city of Bushmill (go figure!), it is possible to take a tour. Here you can see how whiskey is produced and stored – and as they say themselves: How they turn water into gold 😉
As none of us are very interested in how whiskey is produced, we chose to try out how the whiskey at Bushmills tastes instead. You do not have to go on a tour to visit the café and shop. In the café there are lots of different whiskeys to try – and also a lot of different food, that looked quite good.
Our guide, Bobby, recommended for us to try a “mini whiskey tasting”. And by “we”, I am of course referring to the ones in our small company that actually likes whiskey. 4 small glasses of whiskey were served, and we had a little introduction to each of them and how to taste the golden liquid. All in all a fine little experience. But if you drive here yourself, you might not want to get behind the wheel after such a sampler!
You can read more about The Old Bushmills Distillery on their website.
Lunch at Dunluce Castle
After having snooped around in the shop as well, our stomachs started to tell us that it was time for lunch. I told Bobby that I really wanted to see Dunluce Castle, which is situated very close to Bushmills. So he suggested that we bought a sandwich to go eat outside in the wonderful weather. He knew a great place for a picnic – right beside the old castle ruin. There I really enjoyed having a private driver with local knowledge!
Bushmills is actually a cute little town with lots of places to buy a salad, fish and chips or sandwiches. We found a place to get some paninis, and then Bobby headed towards our picnic-spot.
After driving for just 5 minutes, we arrived at the spot where we could enjoy our lunch with the most amazing view! We had a stunning coastline to one side, and when looking the other way, we could catch a glimpse of Dunluce Castle.
After finishing our paninis, we drove the short way to another viewpoint, where Dunluce Castle looked really impressive. The story of the castle is tragic – during a terrible storm in 1639, the entire kitchen region crashed into the sea – but there is just something special to a castle ruin in such amazing surooundings! I am very glad that Bobby got to show us this little spot of Northern Ireland.
Find your way
Bushmills, Dunluce Castle and our picnic spot are all within a very short drive – and actually also veru close to Giant’s Causeway. Check out the map underneath, if you would also like to have a picnic in the most scenic setting ever!
Looking for more inspiration on what to do on a road trip of Northern Ireland! Check out our day to day-program of our road trip through Northern Ireland. It is filled with great experiences in a short time 🙂
Visited in July 2017
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