This article is a list of historic

whisky Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden ca ...

distilleries and distillery companies. It includes some that are still operating and some that are not, and includes those claiming to be the oldest or to have other historically important characteristics.

In Ireland

* Green Distillery (1796–1870s), notable for its use of an early continuous distillation apparatus, invented by the distillery's then co-owner, Joseph Shee *

Kilbeggan Distillery Kilbeggan Distillery (formerly Brusna Distillery and Locke's Distillery) is an Irish whiskey distillery situated on the River Brosna in Kilbeggan, County Westmeath, Ireland. It is owned by Beam Suntory. A small pot still distillery, the licen ...

, formerly the Brusna Distillery and Locke's Distillery, claimed as the oldest licensed distillery, referencing a licence issued in 1757, although it was closed in 1954; production resumed at the site in 2007, but with different ownership and different production facilities, as all the equipment of the prior distillery had been sold off and destroyed during the closure (during which the site had been converted to pig farm and a construction equipment business) *

Old Bushmills Distillery The Old Bushmills Distillery is an alcohol (primarily Irish whiskey) distillery in Bushmills, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, owned by Casa Cuervo. Bushmills Distillery uses water drawn from Saint Columb's Rill, which is a tributary of the Ri ...

, sometimes claimed to be the oldest, based on the notion of the oldest recorded grant of a licence to distil granted to someone in the area in 1608; the current Bushmills distillery site and company date to 1784; the distillery was rebuilt after a fire in 1885

In Scotland

Ardbeg Distillery Ardbeg distillery (Scottish Gaelic: ''Taigh-staile na h-Àirde Bige'') is a Scotch whisky distillery in Ardbeg on the south coast of the isle of Islay, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, in the Inner Hebrides group of islands. The distillery is ow ...

, producing whisky since 1798, began commercial production in 1815 * Bowmore Distillery, said to have been established in 1779 *

Glen Garioch Distillery Glen Garioch distillery (pronounced "Geery" in the Doric dialect of Aberdeen) is one of the oldest whisky distilleries in Scotland, dating back to 1797. History The location chosen by John & Alexander Manson for their malt whisky distillery in ...

, dating to 1797 * Glenturret Distillery, officially established in 1775, but the distillery had previously been under the control of illicit distillers, who sought to avoid paying taxes to England, since 1717, leading to claims of being the oldest distillery in Scotland *

Hazelburn Distillery Hazelburn distillery was a distillery in Campbeltown, Scotland, which was in operation between approximately 1825 and 1925. By 1871 was owned by the Greenlees brothers of Lorne Highland Whisky who also owned Dalaruan and Lagavulin but by 1881 th ...

, in operation between approximately 1825 and 1925 * Littlemill Distillery, with dating traced to inscription 1772 on one of the warehouses and a record of a licence to distil issued in 1773, with more clear records starting in 1817, also one of the first distilleries to have a female licensee (Jane MacGregor in 1823); closed for the last time in 1994, dismantled in 1997, with the remnants destroyed in a fire in 2004 * Strathisla Distillery, formerly known as the Milltown Distillery, oldest distillery in the north of Scotland, with some history dating to 1786 and the 1820s, most well documented after a fire in 1876 or 1879

In the United States

A. Smith Bowman Distillery The A. Smith Bowman Distillery is a distillery that was originally based on the Bowman family's 7,200-acre Sunset Hills Farm in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, in what later became the planned community of Reston. The distillery was found ...

, founded in 1934, operated as the only legal distillery in post-

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcohol ...

Virginia until the 1950s; closed and moved to a different location in 1988 * Atherton Whiskey was a pre-prohibition brand of Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey first produced by J M Atherton & Co. First bottled and marketed in 1867, it was once the largest whiskey making operation in Kentucky * Barton Distillery, originally established in 1879 *

Bomberger's Distillery Bomberger's Distillery, more recently Michter's Distillery, is a non-operating distillery facility that was, at the end of the twentieth century, believed to be the oldest remaining such building in the United States. The distillery closed in 1989 ...

, later known as the Michter's Distillery, with some history to 1753; closed 1989, believed to be the oldest remaining distillery building in the United States *

Brown–Forman The Brown–Forman Corporation is an American company, one of the largest in the Distilled beverage, spirits and wine business. Based in Louisville, Kentucky, it manufactures several well known brands throughout the world, including Jack Daniel' ...

, a company established in 1870 with the novel idea of selling top-grade whiskey in sealed glass bottles, now one of the largest American-owned companies in the spirits and wine business * Buffalo Trace Distillery, formerly known as the George T. Stagg Distillery and the Old Fire Copper (O.F.C.) Distillery, with some history to between 1775 and 1812 *

Four Roses Four Roses is a brand of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey produced in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. Its Spanish Mission-style distillery was built in 1910 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Old Prentice Distillery. The ...

, a brand name claimed to date from the 1860s or 1888 with a distillery built in 1910 * George Washington's Distillery, established in 1797, the highest-capacity distillery in America at that time, reconstructed as an operating tourist attraction in 2007 *

Heaven Hill Distilleries Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc. is a private, American family-owned and operated distillery founded in 1935 and headquartered in Bardstown, Kentucky, that produces and markets the Heaven Hill brand of Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and a varie ...

, founded in 1935 (owner of the New Bernheim Distillery, formerly the Beargrass Distillery DSP-KY-1, and the Heaven Hill Distillery DSP-KY-31), the only large family-owned distillery headquartered in Kentucky and the second-largest holder of bourbon whiskey inventory *

Jack Daniel's Distillery Jack Daniel's is a brand of Tennessee whiskey. It is produced in Lynchburg, Tennessee, by the Jack Daniel Distillery, which has been owned by the Brown–Forman Corporation since 1956. Packaged in square bottles, Jack Daniel's "Black Label" Te ...

, originally established in 1875 (although claimed on the product label as "Est. & Reg. in 1866"), the oldest American distillery operating on the same site (with continuous ownership) * James E. Pepper Distillery, originally the Henry Clay distillery (registered distillery DSP-KY-5), established around 1880, closed 1958, reopened under new ownership in 2008 *

Jim Beam Jim Beam is an American brand of bourbon whiskey produced in Clermont, Kentucky, by Beam Suntory. It is one of the best-selling brands of bourbon in the world. Since 1795 (interrupted by Prohibition in the United States, Prohibition), seven gene ...

, a company that claims a distilling heritage to 1795, which re-entered the market in 1935 just after Prohibition, renaming the brand as Jim Beam in 1943 *

Maker's Mark Distillery Maker's Mark is a small-batch bourbon whisky produced in Loretto, Kentucky, by Beam Suntory. It is bottled at 90 U.S. proof (45% alcohol by volume) and sold in squarish bottles sealed with red wax. The distillery offers tours, and is part o ...

, formerly Burk's Distillery, established 1889 *

McCormick Distilling Company McCormick Distilling Company is a distillery and alcoholic beverage importing company in Weston, Missouri. Established by Ben Holladay in 1856, the distillery has been registered in the National Register of Historic Places and is the oldest distil ...

, dating to 1856, the oldest distillery west of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

that is operating at its original location *

Nelson's Green Brier Distillery Nelson's Green Brier Distillery is popular whiskey distillerylocated in downtown Nashville, Tennessee that produces different varieties of Tennessee whiskey and bourbons. The distillery, located a1414 Clinton St. Nashville, Tennessee 37203 offers ...

, a distillery in Tennessee that operated from 1870 to 1909; the remnants were shipped to Canada in 1923 and used to create a distillery there for

Seagram The Seagram Company Ltd. (which traded as Seagram's) was a Canadian multinational conglomerate formerly headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. Originally a distiller of Canadian whisky based in Waterloo, Ontario, it was once (in the 1990s) the ...

; the name of the distillery was reused for a new business launched in 2011 *

Sazerac Company Sazerac Company, Inc is a privately held American alcoholic beverage company headquartered in Metairie in the metropolitan area of New Orleans, Louisiana, but with its principal office in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is owned by billionair ...

, a large privately owned distilling company that traces its history to a coffee house opened in 1850 that had become a bar by 1869 * Stitzel–Weller Distillery, founded in 1935, sold in 1972, and closed in 1992, produced notable brands and highly regarded whiskey including the stock used for

Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve is the flagship brand of bourbon whiskey owned by the "Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery" company. It is distilled and bottled by the Sazerac Company at its Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. Pappy ...

until 2013, reopened as the Bulleit Frontier Experience attraction for

Bulleit Bourbon Bulleit Bourbon is a brand of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey produced at the Bulleit Distillery in Lebanon, Kentucky and the Bulleit Distillery in Shelbyville, Kentucky, for the Diageo beverage conglomerate. It is characterized by a high rye ...

as part of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail *

Willett Distillery Willett Distillery, also known as Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (KBD), Ltd., is a private family-owned and -operated company that produces bourbon and rye whiskey.

(DSP-KY-78), founded on a family farm in 1936, has had continuous family ownership and two successive female presidents (mother and daughter) * Woodford Reserve Distillery, also known as Labrot & Graham, dating to about 1812

In Canada

Hiram Walker Distillery Hiram Walker (July 4, 1816 – January 12, 1899) was an American entrepreneur and founder of the Hiram Walker and Sons Ltd. distillery in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Walker was born in East Douglas, Massachusetts, and moved to Detroit in 1838. He p ...

, founded in 1858 just across the

Detroit River The Detroit River flows west and south for from Lake St. Clair to Lake Erie as a strait in the Great Lakes system. The river divides the metropolitan areas of Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario—an area collectively referred to as Detro ...

from

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

Windsor, Ontario Windsor is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from Detroit, Michigan, United States. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Essex County, it is the southe ...

, established there to avoid local Prohibition regulations in the Detroit area – heavily profited from the illicit trade during Prohibition in the United States * Gooderham and Warts Limited, founded in 1832 in Toronto. It became one of the worlds largest distilleries. Merged with Hiram Walker Distillery (see above) in 1926. It was sold to Allied Lyons in 1987. Still produces whiskey in Windsor. It is responsible for the distillery district in Toronto.

In Japan

* Yamazaki Distillery, the oldest commercial whiskey distillery in Japan, established in 1923 by Shinjiro Torii and

Masataka Taketsuru was a Japanese chemist and businessman. He is known as the founder of Japan's whisky industry and Nikka Whisky Distilling. Born to a family that had owned a sake brewery since 1733, he traveled to Scotland in 1918 to study organic chemistry and ...

of the Kotobukiya company, which was renamed Suntory in 1963 *

Yoichi Distillery is a Japanese whisky distillery. It is located at , a town in the Yoichi District, Shiribeshi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. The distillery is owned by Nikka Whisky Distilling, and was opened in 1934. It is the older of the two distilleri ...

, established in 1934 by Masataka Taketsuru when founding the

Nikka Whisky Distilling The is a producer of Japanese whisky and other beverages headquartered in Tokyo. It is owned by Asahi Group Holdings. The company operates a number of distilleries and other facilities in Japan, including two Japanese whisky distilleries, the Yo ...

company

References

{{reflist

Historic History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...