Bushmills Is Planning Something Big, But It’s Not Another Distillery

by Francis Moses

Wednesday, 18 March 2026 at 07:18TheSpirits Business

Bushmills is not slowing down anytime soon. The distillery has just put forward plans to start expanding big time. The Irish whiskey maker wants to build 26 new warehouses in Northern Ireland.

The whole expansion is expected to cost about 62.9 million pounds, so this is clearly a serious expansion. It is also part of a bigger plan that has been going on for a few years now.

More space needed for whiskey maturation

It really comes down to one thing. Storage. Bushmills has been producing more whisky, especially since the Causeway Distillery opened in 2024. That site alone increased their output quite a bit.

More whisky means more casks. And those casks need to sit for years. So naturally, they need more space. The plan breaks the warehouses into 10 blocks. Each one will hold a large number of casks. A single bay can take around 20,000 casks of spirit, which is quite a lot when you think about it.

It’s more than just storage buildings

It is not just about putting up warehouses and leaving it at that. They are also planning to add roads within the site. There will be some groundwork too, plus an extension to the sprinkler system. So it is more like building out the whole area properly.

Projects like this usually bring work with them. During the build, it could support over 300 jobs. That will likely run across several years. After that, there should still be around 45 ongoing roles.

Bushmills also mentioned that this helps local suppliers. And of course, it keeps the distillery important for tourism in the region.

This didn’t just start now

This is actually the next step in something that started earlier. Back in 2018, they got approval to build 29 warehouses. So far, 16 are already in use. The rest are expected to be finished by 2028.

There is also talk about expanding the bottling side of things, but that will come later.

Interesting timing though

One thing that stands out is the timing. The company saw a small drop in revenue in 2025, and spirits sales dipped a bit too. Even so, they are still investing heavily. That usually means they are looking ahead rather than reacting to short-term numbers.

FAQ

Why is Bushmills building more warehouses?
Because they are producing more whisky and need space to age it over many years.
How much is the expansion worth?
Around £62.9 million for this phase.
Will this create jobs?
Yes. Over 300 construction jobs and about 45 long-term roles are expected.