Of Monsters and Men and Jake Bugg Rock the World's Only Whiskey and Music Festival in an Irish Distillery

BUSHMILLS, Ireland, June 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Bushmills Live: International indie artists take to the stage at age-old distillery

Global stars including Of Monsters and Men and Jake Bugg, together with friends Foy Vance, Willy Mason and Iain Archer, gave electrifying performances last night at Bushmills Live - the festival of handcrafted whiskey and music which took place among the barrels at the Old Bushmills Distillery.

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The intimate two-day festival on Ireland's north coast was attended by just 500 music and whiskey fans from around the world, including attendees from countries spanning from the USA to Bulgaria and Portugal to Russia.

Artists more used to playing to crowds of hundreds of thousands, such as Of Monsters and Men and Jake Bugg, performed a series of small gigs in centuries-old buildings at the Old Bushmills Distillery, where the art of whiskey-making has been practiced for generations.

Of Monsters and Men's Ragnar Þorhallsson said: "Last night was unlike any other gig we've played before. We have performed in many venues in cities all around the world, but this one, in a whiskey distillery, was something very special. The atmosphere was great and we loved it. We would be honoured to play here again."

Jake Bugg added: "I've played many gigs but never thought I'd be playing in a whiskey distillery and it was pretty cool. Good to see my mate Iain Archer - happy birthday."

These global superstars were joined by emerging indie artists Bear's Den and Sons and Lovers, together with David C Clements and VerseChorusVerse, recipients of the inaugural Bushmills Live Legacy Fund. This is a trust of GBP20,000 set up by Bushmills(TM) Irish Whiskey and Third Bar, an artist development company run by last year's headliner, Snow Patrol's lead singer, Gary Lightbody and Davy Matchett, curators of the fund.

Master Distiller at the Old Bushmills Distillery, Colum Egan, said: "This was an incredible night for Bushmills Irish Whiskey and for music lovers. Last night, we welcomed both globally-established artists and emerging talent to our home on Ireland's north coast. Their music, like our whiskey, represents the very best in hand craftsmanship. He added: "It was fantastic to see so many friends come to the distillery, enjoy the music and of course share a glass of Bushmills."

NOTES TO EDITORS

For further photographs go to Facebook: http://facebook.com/bushmills1608

Twitter: @BushmillsGlobal( http://www.twitter.com/BushmillsGlobal )

Hashtag: #BushmillsLive

Tickets to Bushmills Live were not available for sale but were won via a competition on Facebook. To find out more, visit http://facebook.com/bushmills1608.

BUSHMILLS LIVE ARTIST INFORMATION

About Of Monsters and Men

http://www.ofmonstersandmen.com

About Jake Bugg

http://www.jakebugg.com

About Willy Mason

http://www.willymason.net

About Bear's Den

http://www.musicglue.com/bearsdenmusic

About Iain Archer

http://www.iainarcher.co.uk/modules/news

About Foy Vance

http://www.foyvance.com

About Sons and Lovers

http://www.sons-and-lovers.com

About David C Clements:

http://davidcclements.bandcamp.com

ABOUT VERSECHORUSVERSE

http://soundcloud.com/vcvtony

ABOUT BUSHMILLS IRISH WHISKEY

With a heritage rooted in authenticity and quality, Bushmills Irish Whiskey is produced, aged and bottled at Ireland's oldest working Whiskey distillery in the village of Bushmills in County Antrim on the far north coast of Ireland. The Old Bushmills Distillery uses 100% malt barley to make triple distilled malt whiskey, which is what creates the rich, mellow and distinct flavour that is the house style. The Bushmills portfolio includes: Bushmills Irish Whiskey; Black Bush, Bushmills 10 Year Old Single Malt, Bushmills 16 Year Old Single Malt, Bushmills 21 Year Old Single Malt, Bushmills 1608 and now Bushmills Irish Honey.

BUSHMILLS LIVE VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjyzNFGuRmo

To launch the festival, Bushmills commissioned some artisans to make a 3D art installation that depicts the Bushmills Live poster using materials inspired by the handcrafted whiskey and music at the heart of the festival. The master craftsmen who cemented their friendship when creating the stage set for a hugely popular American television epic that was filmed in Belfast - used 254 casks, 250 bottle tops, 30 bottles of whiskey, five metres of AMP wiring and four guitars to handcraft the 10ft by 16ft installation artwork.

ABOUT DIAGEO

Diageo is the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, beer and wine categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, JeB, Buchanan's, Windsor and Bushmills whiskies, Smirnoff, Ciroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Diageo is a global company, with its products sold in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and performance, visit http://www.diageo.com. For Diageo's global resource that promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice tools, information and initiatives, visit http://www.DRINKiQ.com.

Celebrating life, every day, everywhere.

SOURCE Bushmills Irish Whiskey