Causeway, a new Irish whiskey distillery
Proximo Spirits is a U.S. conglomerate founded in 2007 that owns, among other things, the world's largest producer of tequila, the Jose Cuervo brand, Kraken and Matusalem rums and a number of other spirits present in markets around the world. Proximo Spirits also owns Irish whiskey brands, including Sexton, Proper No. Twelve (in partnership with Connor McGregor) and considered the oldest brand of Irish whiskey Bushmills. And it is in the development of the Irish whiskey sector that Proximo has invested as much as £60 million in the last five years.
Slightly more than half of this not inconsiderable amount was used to build a new distillery. The Causeway Distillery, which has just opened in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, cost £37 million and is a monument of sorts to the traditions of Irish distilling, while bowing to the latest trends, the most advanced technical innovations and, above all, the environment. The new distillery, a sister plant to Bushmills, uses 30% less energy, and the use of the latest distillation innovations has resulted in a 10% reduction in raw material consumption.
The thoroughly modern distillery provides for the reception of tourists, tours of production spaces, and dedicated whiskey tasting rooms. Thus, Causeway Distillery becomes another element of the tourist attraction of County Antrim and Northern Ireland in general.
The distillery was named after a distinctive geological formation nearby, one of the major tourist attractions in this corner of Ireland, namely the Giant's Causeway, or so-called Giant's Causeway. They are a kind of huge basalt staircase, descending to the sea, which is an important point on the route of every tourist visiting the area. It is about 40 thousand basalt columns, uplifted about 6 million years ago. Legend has it that it was built by the Irish giant Fionn mac Cumhaill, who wanted to use it to get to his adversary, the Scottish giant Benandonner, to fight a battle with him. For Bushmills distillers it has also been an inspiration for years. Recent years have seen the release of an entire series of Bushmills whiskeys dedicated specifically to this geological formation, The Causeway Collection, the last piece of which, Bushmills 33yo Port Casks was released in February of this year and was the oldest Bushmills whiskey ever released.
On a daily basis, we witness and discuss the remarkable growth of whisky distilleries in Scotland, but it is worth mentioning that Irish whiskey, too, has experienced a remarkable renaissance in recent years. From the literal handful of producers responsible for all incarnations and brands of Irish whiskey operating just a decade or two ago, the number of Irish whiskey producers has grown to several ten. This is the market's response to the ever-growing demand for this type of liquor. The Bushmills brand alone saw sales rise by as much as more than 10% in 2022, and sold more than one million cartons of whiskey for the first time in its history.
The House of Whisky Online offers a wide selection of Bushmills brand whiskey, as well as extremely impressive resources irish whiskey in general. You are welcome to visit, but please arm yourself with patience - there is really a lot of it.
[20.04.2023 / photo: Bushmills]