BELFAST (Reuters) - The world’s oldest licensed distillery has entered into the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day with a competition for a whiskey lover’s dream job.

The Bushmills Whiskey distillery in Northern Ireland is scouring the planet for someone to work with master distiller Colum Egan and his team for a month to create his or her own blend of Irish whiskey.

It’s unlikely there will be a shortage of candidates willing to spend a month on Northern Ireland’s north Antrim coast, near the celebrated Giant’s Causeway, where Bushmills has distilled whiskey since James I authorised it to do so in 1608.

To win the job, prospective whiskeymakers ought to make sure they know the difference between Irish whiskey and its Scottish rival, beyond the fact that one is spelled with an “e” and the other is not, when they apply online at the Bushmills Facebook page www.facebook.com/bushmills1608.

“If someone can prove to us that they have what it takes, then we’d be delighted to let them be the first person outside of the distillery to work alongside me to create their own special blend of Bushmills Irish Whiskey,” said Egan.

The launch begins at 4:08 p.m. on Wednesday.