Old Bushmills Distillery is famous for being the oldest licensed distillery in the world. It is located on the outskirts of Bushmills, inland from Portballintrae in County Antrim.

The original license was granted by King James I in 1608, although illicit distilling took place before then. The Victorian building in which the distillery is housed dates from 1885, and replaced the original building which was destroyed by a fire. A guided tour takes about 45 minutes, and provides an insight into the laborious distillation process. The Irish malt whiskey (spelt with an added 'e') is distilled three times (Scotch is distilled only twice) for extra smoothness, and the strong odours emanating from the factory testify to the amount of work involved!

Afterwards visitors can sample a glass of the final product for free in the bar, and there is also gift shop selling a variety of different Bushmills whiskeys for liquid souvenirs. A narrow-gauge railway runs from Bushmills to the spectacular Giant's Causeway, which lies a couple of miles north on the Causeway Coast.

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