| "Irish Malt Whiskey is made from the finest natural raw materials; malted barley, yeast and crystal clear river water. The uniqueness of the Malt Whiskey distilled in Bushmills lies in the barley grown in Ireland, in the special water from St. Columb's Rill. a tributary of the river Bush which runs beside the distillery, and its triple distillation process.... The water for the making of the whiskey flows over basalt, the volcanic rock that forms the Giant's Causeway, just one mile away...." From a Distillery Tourist leaflet. |
This
new development of 66 dwellings slopes down to the edge of that stream
which feeds the Distillery. One of the houses will
be
within 23
metres
of the
bank.
In
a letter to the Planners in August 2001 the architects/civil engineers
for the Distillery wrote :-
Aug.
2001 “In the production of its whiskeys the Distillery uses only water from St Columb’s Rill. No water from any other source has ever been used. This water is said to impart a taste and character to the whiskey itself. It is therefore of supreme importance that this vital natural resource be unspoiled.” |
3rd Aug. 2001 "Such things as garden fertilizer/weedkiller ........flowing into the Burn, not only endangers environment, but the Distillery which depends on the pure water flow." |
28th July 2001 "The water table is high and effluent from the building site, e.g. washings from cement lorries and mixers, virtually undiluted, will pollute the stream which is immediately adjacent to the site. Once the houses have been occupied a similar hazard will arise when the inhabitants use lawn fertiliser and weedkiller". |
However, we have since heard from a Distillery spokesperson that they have been working with the Water Service and DOE and have come to an amicable arrangement. We understand from that same person that the Water Service have guaranteed the quality of St Columb's Rill
