One of the world's most famous Irish whiskey's, Bushmills®, has unveiled a bold and striking new look. The new bottle design recognises the global reputation this local brand holds reinforcing the quality, authenticity and heritage that have been hallmarks of Bushmills whiskey for over 400 years.

Speaking at the launch in Bushmills, Gordon Donoghue, Supply Director for Bushmills, said: "Bushmills whiskey is recognised internationally as one of the best Irish whiskeys in the world. This isn't something that has happened overnight. We have been making whiskey in the Bushmills area for over 400 years. All of that skill, knowledge and expertise has been poured lovingly back into the whiskey to make Bushmills the best it can be.

"Here in Bushmills we are immensely proud of our whiskey. Since Diageo acquired Bushmills in 2005 we have seen this brand become famous throughout the world and it all comes from this small village on the north coast of Antrim.And it was great to have that recognised recently with the Bank of Ireland choosing the Old Bushmills Distillery as the icon of Northern Ireland to feature on all of their banknotes. The new bottle highlights a lot of the quality and pride people at the distillery have been investing into this whiskey for centuries, it's an Irish whiskey made by local people and we're delighted to be able to launch it in its home market nearly six months ahead of its global release."

Bushmills Global Brand Director, Sarah Miles, added: "Today is an exciting chapter in the continuous evolution of this world famous brand. We wanted to create a modern bottle that communicates the quality and heritage of Bushmills Whiskey. We've done this by adding a number of key and distinctive features. We firmly believe that Bushmills' new look will further reinforce its position as the leading Irish whiskey in Northern Ireland and grow it's market share globally."

The new bottle has a number of new features including the embossing of both the 1608 original licence to distill date and the famous Old Bushmills Distillery potstill. Both highlight the heritage and expertise that is part of every bottle of Bushmills Whiskey. Bushmills is the the only distillery in Ireland to make triple distilled malt whiskey to ensure the best possible quality. The potstill is symbolic of this unerring commitment to quality at Bushmills.The new bottle, which is being rolled out globally from March 2010, represents an investment of £1.75m by Diageo. It forms part of an ongoing investment programme by the company of over £10.25m in the brand since it was acquired in 2005.The front of the new bottle includes some of the international whiskey medals Bushmills has won indicating the international recognition the brand has received. Bushmills whiskies continue to win awards with Bushmills 10 year old recently winning ‘Best Irish Whiskey' at the 2009 San Francisco International Wine and Spirit Awards.The new Bushmills bottle will be available in Northern Ireland from November 2009.