FERMANAGH, Northern Ireland,
June 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Northern Ireland's world
famous whiskey, Bushmills, was the toast of world leaders at
the G8 Summit meeting at the Lough Erne Resort in Enniskillen,
County Fermanagh, on 17 and 18
June.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130619/NY34979)
Bottles of the award winning whiskey were presented to the heads
of state, including Barack Obama and
Vladimir Putin, and the key delegates travelling with them.
Bushmills Irish Whiskey was chosen by the UK Government
among gifts that represent the best of the Northern Ireland's produce.
The Old Bushmills Distillery on Northern Ireland's picturesque north coast
exports 95% of its production, with main markets including
North America, Great Britain and France.
Bushmills Master Distiller, Colum
Egan selected one of the distillery's finest reserves -
Bushmills 12 Year Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey – for the
commemorative gift presented by UK Prime Minister David Cameron to the world leaders and
delegates.
Colum Egan said:
"Bushmills may be a small village, but we are no stranger to
the global stage – we've received hundreds of international awards
for our whiskey. But I have to say this is one of our finest
moments. As Master Distiller I'm very proud that our hand-made
whiskey is being given global recognition as among the best of
Northern Ireland's produce,
especially coming in the same week as we are welcoming 500
international visitors to our distillery's music festival."
Bushmills Irish Whiskey also partnered with the Northern
Ireland Tourist Board at the G8 summit to provide media from around
the world with a series of tutored tastings of its handcrafted
range including some of its seven award-winning whiskies:
Bushmills, Black Bush™, Bushmills 10 Year Old
Single Malt, Bushmills 16 Year Old Single Malt,
Bushmills 21 Year Old Single Malt, Bushmills 1608 and
Bushmills Irish Honey Spirit Drink.
Diageo PLC (DGE:London) acquired the Old Bushmills
Distillery in 2005 and has invested £45m since then, trebling
production. Around 5m litres of whiskey will be distilled this
year. The distillery employs 106 people in all areas of production
including distilling, blending, maturation and bottling, all of
which take place on the one site. The distillery's visitors' centre
is one of Northern Ireland's
leading tourist destinations, attracting around 120,000 visitors a
year.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
ABOUT BUSHMILLS IRISH WHISKEY
With a heritage rooted in authenticity and quality, Bushmills
Irish Whiskey is produced, aged and bottled at Ireland's oldest working Whiskey distillery in
the village of Bushmills in County
Antrim on the far north coast of Ireland. The Old Bushmills Distillery uses
100% malt barley to make triple distilled malt whiskey, which is
what creates the rich, mellow and distinct flavour that is the
house style. The Bushmills portfolio includes: Bushmills Irish
Whiskey; Black Bush, Bushmills 10 Year Old Single Malt, Bushmills
16 Year Old Single Malt, Bushmills 21 Year Old Single Malt,
Bushmills 1608 and now Bushmills Irish Honey.
ABOUT BUSHMILLS LIVE MUSIC FESTIVAL
This week sees the staging of "Bushmills Live", a festival of
handcrafted whiskey and music at the distillery (June 19 and 20) where international indie artists
such as Of Monsters and Men and Jake Bugg will play to an audience of 500
international music and whiskey fans from countries such as the US,
Russia, Portugal and Bulgaria.
ABOUT DIAGEO
Diageo is the world's leading premium
drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol
brands across spirits, beer and wine categories. These brands
include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal,
J&B, Buchanan's, Windsor and
Bushmills whiskies, Smirnoff, Ciroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain
Morgan, Baileys, Tanqueray and Guinness.
Diageo is a global company, with its products sold in more than
180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the
New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE).
For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and
performance, visit www.diageo.com. For Diageo's global resource
that promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best
practice tools, information and initiatives, visit
www.DRINKiQ.com.
Celebrating life, every day, everywhere.
SOURCE Diageo