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1 / 6Old Bushmills Distillery is the world's oldest licensed whiskey distillery, with a licence dating back to 1608, and its guided tour is one of the highlights of Northern Ireland's Causeway Coastal Route. Before you plan your visit, there's one thing worth knowing up front: the distillery tour is a genuine ticketed, working-distillery experience, but admission is only sold on the official Bushmills website. Third-party "tickets" for distillery entry are not valid, so it pays to book in the right place.
🎟️Browse things to do in Bushmills →Where it is
The distillery sits at 2 Distillery Road, just outside Bushmills town centre, County Antrim BT57 8XH, on the Causeway Coastal Route in Northern Ireland. It's a short hop from two of the coast's biggest draws, so it slots naturally into a wider day out along the Antrim coast.
What to see
- A guided tour of a genuine working distillery, the world's oldest licensed whiskey distillery, with a licence dating to 1608.
- A short guided walk (roughly 25 to 40 minutes) through the whiskey-making process, the casks and the bottling, finishing with a sample.
- Adult admission is around £20, while guided and premium tasting tours span roughly £15 to £50 depending on the experience.
- A location on the Causeway Coastal Route, about a 10-minute drive from the Giant's Causeway and Dunluce Castle.
Getting your ticket
This is the important bit. Old Bushmills Distillery tour tickets are sold only on the official Bushmills website at bushmills.com. Groups of 12 or more are handled by email through the official site. Distillery-entry tickets are not sold on GetYourGuide or other third-party platforms, and any listing presented as "Bushmills distillery admission" from a third party should be treated with caution, as it may not be valid entry. Always book directly on the official site so you turn up with a ticket that works.
What you can book through third parties like GetYourGuide are the surrounding Causeway Coast day trips: full-day Giant's Causeway tours, Game of Thrones tours and coach tours along the coast. One of these, a Giant's Causeway tour with whiskey tasting, includes a tasting at Bushmills, but it is not the official distillery guided tour. Treat those as a complementary way to explore the wider area, not as a substitute for the distillery tour itself.
How to book Old Bushmills Distillery
⚠️ The distillery guided tour must be booked on the official Bushmills site (bushmills.com); GetYourGuide/third parties sell area day trips, not distillery-entry tickets. Do not present GYG listings as Bushmills tour admission.
Insider tips
- Because this is a working distillery, book your tour slot ahead on the official site rather than turning up and hoping for space.
- Pair the tour with the Giant's Causeway and Dunluce Castle, both around 10 minutes away, to make a full day of the Causeway Coastal Route.
- If you're travelling as a group of 12 or more, arrange it by email through the official site rather than booking individual tickets.
Is it worth it?
If you have any interest in whiskey or in Northern Ireland's heritage, a tour of the world's oldest licensed whiskey distillery is an easy yes, especially given its position alongside the Giant's Causeway on one of the UK's most scenic coastal drives. The tour is short and sample-friendly, and adult admission around £20 is reasonable for a working-distillery experience. Just remember to book the tour itself on the official site, and use third-party platforms only for the wider Causeway Coast day trips.
FAQs
Where do I buy Old Bushmills Distillery tour tickets?
Only on the official Bushmills website, bushmills.com. Distillery-entry tickets are not sold on GetYourGuide or other third-party sites, and groups of 12 or more book by email through the official site.
How much does it cost and how long does it take?
Adult admission is around £20, with guided and premium tasting tours spanning roughly £15 to £50. The guided tour takes about 25 to 40 minutes and ends with a sample.
What's nearby?
The distillery is about a 10-minute drive from both the Giant's Causeway and Dunluce Castle, all on the Causeway Coastal Route, so it's easy to combine into a single day out.
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