Bushmills Salmon and Whiskey Festival

Bushmills Salmon & Whiskey festival is moving to the month of June this year, taking place on Saturday 18th June from 11am until 6pm and Sunday 19th of June from 1pm until 6pm.
The Old Bushmills Distillery is the worldâ¬"s oldest licensed whiskey distillery having received its licence to distil in 1608. In 1608 Sir Thomas Phillips was granted a licence to distil whiskey by James 1 of England, however, mentions of distilling traditions in the surrounding environs date back to 1276.The Old Bushmills Distillery is the worldâ¬"s oldest licensed whiskey distillery having received its licence to distil in 1608. In 1608 Sir Thomas Phillips was granted a licence to distil whiskey by James 1 of England, however, mentions of distilling traditions in the surrounding environs date back to 1276.
The Old Bushmills Distillery is the worldâ¬"s oldest licensed whiskey distillery having received its licence to distil in 1608. In 1608 Sir Thomas Phillips was granted a licence to distil whiskey by James 1 of England, however, mentions of distilling traditions in the surrounding environs date back to 1276.

The festival content will feature upon the theme of Food and Drink, Live entertainment, Heritage and Culture.

A large food fest marquee where locally talented chefs from the area will showcase a range of cooking skills, and recipes to the visiting crowds over the two days will be one of the main attractions. Local talented and award winning chef’s from the Bushmills Inn, Old Bushmills Distillery, Bartali, Tartine-Distillers Arms, Causeway Hotel and Bayview Hotel will all take part in the food fest showcase as the chefs put their own creative slant on the very best of local home grow produce.

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Celebrity Chef, Romy Gill from Bristol will spice things up as she joins the line up on Saturday and Sunday. Female chef Romy developed her passion for cooking after moving to the UK from Burnpur, India. Romy’s food celebrates the flavours she grew up with taking influence not only from her Indian heritage but also her modern British lifestyle creating a unique style of Anglo-Indian cooking. Romy showcases at both national and international food festivals and is an added attraction to the 2016 festival. Romy will place her own creative style on a range of local produce to showcase the versatility of Northern Ireland produce during her visit.

The food theme continues onto the street as the Festival welcomes the Naturally North Coast & Glens Artisan Market. The market provides a rare but enchanting opportunity to meet the many food and craft producers and suppliers from the North Coast and Glens area.

On the drinks theme the world famous Bushmills Distillery, home to the oldest whiskey in Ireland, will offer a range of entertainment from FREE Whiskey tasting and cocktail demonstrations to live music and, for the ladies, a Fashion Show over the weekend at their premises. In addition, the Distillery will also host local author Jane Talbot on Sunday 19th, who will narrate excerpts from her book, ‘The Spirit of the Meadow Burn’ : How Bushmills Whiskey Really Got Its Flavour’ with opportunities available to purchase.

The Salmon Fisheries will open their doors on Saturday 18th to welcome visitors and showcase ‘The Cycle of Wild Atlantic Salmon’ from hatchery to adult stage. Also on offer are talks and tours on the ecology of the River, fish anatomy and the history of the station in Bushmills. The station will also feature an angling simulator, fly tying and casting demonstrations and PRONI will be in residence to host talks on family history and provide opportunity for visitors to view archive records held.

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Catering for all the family, there will also be a range of entertainment for children, with singing chefs on the streets, local retailers offering craft workshops and a visit from the ‘World of Owls’, which will allow the kids to get up close and personal with a variety of owls, lizards, spiders and other interesting creatures in Millennium Park (Sunday only).

For those with a keen interest in heritage there will be FREE heritage tours of Bushmills available over the two days.

Further information available on www.visitcausewaycoastandglens.gov.uk or telephone Bushmills Visitor Information Centre on 028 2073 0390. Note full programme details available in the next few weeks.