Talk:Kilbeggan Distillery

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[edit] Oldest licensed distillery

Right there are references to back up that it claims to be the oldest licensed distillery in the world, but it is very well documented that Bushmills was licensed in 1608, over a hundred years earlier, and hence this claim has nothing to stand on. Now what do we do about it in this article? The museum site makes the claim, even though it is obviously untrue, but the claim is officially made. Ben W Bell talk 18:45, 26 March 2007 (UTC)

I think it claims to be the oldest because there is uncertainty in regard to the Bushmills claim. A license was granted to a distiller in Bushmills in 1608, but not necessarily to the actual current Bushmills distillery. i.e. it could have been a different distillery in the Bushmills area. Everytime (talk) 17:55, 15 February 2008 (UTC)

The Busmills distillery was founded in 1784 which is stated on the old bushmills bottle. 1608 has nothing to do with the current whiskey. It was the year that a licence to distil was granted to the area that bushmills is now in. Not an actual licence to the current distillery which did not exist in 1608. In fact other licences to distil were granted before 1608 so the claim has no basis whatsoever.

Kilbeggan is the oldest licensed distillery in the world as the licence was granted to the actual distillery. This is very well documented and confirmed —Preceding unsigned comment added by Whisky lover (talkcontribs) 12:29, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

But there are only links to support the claiming of it, nothing here to support the actuality of it. I think we need to go further into this, but without crossing into Original Research territory. Canterbury Tail talk 12:39, 29 February 2008 (UTC)


I think the original licence to distil which dates to 1757 is actual enough. This licence exists and can been seen in the distillery visitor centre. I could not ask for more evidence —Preceding unsigned comment added by Whisky lover (talkcontribs) 17:23, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

So if we know a license was granted in the Bushmills ares in 1608 then Kilbeggan cannot claim to be the world's oldest licensed distillery if one was licensed about 150 years prior. Canterbury Tail talk 22:29, 12 March 2008 (UTC)

One is licenced to an area the other is to an actual distillery.Big difference. If you went to an old stone age cottage which was the oldest left in the world you would not say thats not the oldest because people would of lived in cottages before the construction of the only one left standing. Around 1600 thousands of people used to distill in Ireland mostly in secret. To make some money the British government granted a licence to distill to an area so the land owner(normally a brittish lord) could go around taxing people distilling in their houses. Having a building dedecated to distilling is very different to using your bath tub. Therefore thats why kilbeggan can say they are the oldest distillery in the world because it was the first ever dedicated building to distill whiske in the world. Just because some farmer made some form of whiskey in the area bushmills is now in does not mean it can claim to be the oldest distillery in the world. As I said bushmills was founded in 1784.

Also to get very technical in the 1600 lots of licences were granted to regions to allow the taxation of distilling. Cork being one of the 1st a few years before 1608. So bushmills have really just pounced on something and done a very good marketing job however none of it is factual.

Check out barnards visit to Irish distilleries If you can find it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.192.244.131 (talk) 10:35, 13 March 2008 (UTC)