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Meet the maker: Alex Thomas, Bushmills master blender
Situated on County Antrim’s verdant coast, Old Bushmills (1608) has triumphed over fire, war and prohibition. Here, a duet of distilleries, including the newly launched 39,000 square feet, £37m Causeway Distillery, forming part of Proximo’s £60 million investment in its Irish single malt distilling and ageing facility, which is faced in hand-hewn basalt, is fed by often organic, unpeated barley from Cork in Ireland’s south which is triple distilled to 85% here in the north using filtered water drawn from the River Bush. Master Blender, Alex Thomas joined Bushmills in 2004, qualifying as a distiller and blender in 2012. She was appointed master blender in November 2021 and today has over 450,000 casks at her “beck and call.” She talks to Douglas Blyde about her journey to date.
Is the newly opened Causeway Distillery set to take over entirely from the pre-existing facility?
I am delighted to say “no”. The Old Bushmills Distillery will continue to craft and distil extraordinary single malt whiskies as it has done for over 400 years. The Causeway Distillery is joining Old Bushmills Distillery to more than double production capacity and place us among the largest single malt distilling operations in the world. The Causeway Distillery underlines Proximo’s intent to play a major role in Irish whiskey and establish Bushmills as a leader among the world’s great single malts.
This year, we launched two new rare, aged whiskeys as permanent additions to our core range – a 25 Year Old and a 30 Year Old Irish Single Malt, marking a bold entry into the ultra-prestige single malt segment.
Many of the casks being filled now, I’ll never see fully matured in my lifetime, and looking far down the line as the demand continues to grow, we will need more liquid. As we have been left with ample stocks, we have to pay forward for the next generation of caretakers. I believe the whiskeys we are creating in Ireland are the best in the world, and I would love to see Bushmills, which has been around for over 415 years, to continue to be the leaders, and innovators, in the single malt category.
How much production capacity does it bring to Bushmills?
With an annual production of five million litres, the original distillery can no longer be expanded. When we looked at our needs, it became clear we needed to grow by six million litres, which is what the new distillery brings us presently, with the potential to double in capacity.
Will other brands of whiskey besides Bushmills be produced here?
The Causeway Distillery will produce the award-winning Bushmills Irish Whiskey portfolio, The Sexton Irish Whiskey, and malt component of Proper Number Twelve Irish Whiskey.
How did you keep this substantial distillery a secret until it was launched in April?
We were honoured to have a wonderful team working with us, and consider the villagers, on our doorstep, and the contractors who helped build the distillery in just 18 months during the pandemic, to be part of our family. Everyone was as excited as us about having a new distillery. Although many people took pictures of the build, they did not share them on social media until the official launch, when we literally got our day in the sunshine.
How did you give back to the local community?
The Causeway Distillery has the future of the North Coast of Ireland firmly at its heart. We aim to contribute to a greater sense of community and pride in the area. After reaching out to community groups to ask them how we could say thank you for supporting us as we built the distillery, we are building a public allotment / community gardens on land owned by the distillery for the public to enjoy.
Was there a starry launch event?
Yes, it was the highlight of my whole time at Bushmills. We closed the new distillery down for two days, inviting all of our contractors back on 19th April so they could see how their contributions had turned out at the finish line.
Then on the 20th April, being 415 years since Bushmills received its licence to distil, we held the official opening where Juan Domingo Beckmann Legorreta cut the ribbon. To pay homage to the history and heritage of Bushmills, guests were welcomed at Sharvagh House, a Grade B2 listed old farm building with links back to 1784 and Hugh Anderson who officially registered the pot still trademark, before heading to the new distillery, illuminated inside and outside so it could be seen far and wide.
There was singing and dancing – the building was alive with energy! And we sampled never-before-tasted whiskeys, followed by dinner in the still house.
Did you use an Irish designer, engineer, and builder to plan the distillery?
We used several Irish companies, including Doran Consulting as project managers and lead design consultant alongside Todd Architects. GEA helped us with the brewing and utility needs, and, from Scotland, we worked with Forsyth for the distillation , who currently work with us on the existing distillery.
How efficient is it?
We are delighted to achieve 10% extra efficiency in fermentation and distillation, resulting in 10% more alcohol per tonne of barley, and we deployed the latest thermal technology to reduce traditional energy usage by 30%.
This is in addition to Bushmills having been zero-to-landfill for over 10 years. As part of the investment, we have built additional warehousing one mile up the road from the existing site, and have planted over 80,000 trees to offset its construction. In the planning stage, we could walk the plant using a 3D model, seeing where operators would have issues over its entire 39,000 square feet and ensuring that we resolved any issues prior to starting construction. For example we added cranes to the interior of the stillhouse to be able to remove sections of the stills during shutdown without having to remove the roof as is required in the existing distillery..
Does the new distillery represent the most seismic chapter so far in the Bushmills story?
In my opinion, it is one of the most notable moments in 200 years. When I started, there were only three distilleries in Ireland, a figure which has risen to around 40 today. Back then, we produced 2.5-to-3 million litres per year, gradually expanding to five million. Never did I dream there would be a second distillery in my lifetime, which really shows a commitment to the Irish category.
When were the 10 new stills officially fired up?
In July 2021, a magical day. Everyone wanted to taste the liquid and be part of history, and to compare it to the existing distillery. We achieved 97-98% of the taste profile straight away and were fully in character within a matter of days. Using the same water source, barley, ratio of the stills and over 400 years of experience all made this possible.
How have you found, and grown within, your role as master blender since you were appointed in November 2021?
I didn’t believe after 17 years I would become the master blender of such an iconic brand, it was both daunting and exciting, to be part of something so special. However, so many people had skilled me up to be the right person for the job, so I knew I had what it took.
2024 marks your 20th anniversary with Bushmills. How do you plan to celebrate?
It will be a double celebration. I hope I can create a new whiskey specially for the occasion. I started on the thirtieth birthday of my husband, Steven, so, on 19th April 2024, he will be 50. He started work at the distillery a few years before me in the area of blending, looking after spirit to get it ready for bottling.
Have you been nurturing protégés?
The wonderful thing about Bushmills is that we are always looking within the company to find the people who want to do a little bit more – to give back. People saw that in me when I didn’t even know what I was capable of, although I knew maturation was for me.
I am grateful to carry on the legacy of Bushmills, including the people who are not here anymore. I will do all I possibly can to make Bushmills bigger and better. If you do something you love you don’t work a day in your life. I would sleep there if they would let me.
But what about the ghosts?
Ghosts? I prefer to think of happy spirit!
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