‘A Huge Milestone’: After an 88-Year Dry Spell, This Distillery Is Bringing Irish Whiskey Back to Belfast

The facilities at Titanic Distillers (Photo: Titanic Distillers)

Titanic Distillers has officially brought whiskey back to Belfast after an 88-year lull, the Irish News reported Thursday.

The fledgling Irish whiskey company invested approximately $10 million into converting the Thompson Dock and Pumphouse in the Titanic Quarter. The company, run by Peter Lavery, Stephen Symington and Richard Irwin, just acquired its distiller’s license. It took over five years to get the distillery in working condition.

Titanic Distillers is now the first working distillery in Belfast since 1935, when Dunville & Co. shuttered its doors.

Irish whiskey is having a meteoric rise within the global marketplace, and the category is projected to experience revenue growth of $1.54 billion, a study by Technavio found.

Popular brands, like Jameson and Bushmills, appear to be leading the charge and paving the way for newer distilleries to make their mark.

“… to finally begin production on site is an incredible feeling and a huge milestone, not just for us but for the city of Belfast,” said Damien Rafferty, a distiller in the area according to the Irish News. “In many ways though, the job is only beginning as we start producing a whiskey that the people of Belfast and Northern Ireland can be proud of, and one that will represent us well all over the world.”

Although Titanic Distillers has a blended whiskey that is already available for purchase, the fledgling distillery is now working on production of its very own single malt.

“Whiskey has played an important part in the history of our city but there hasn’t been a working distillery here since the 1930s, so, as a Belfast boy, it really means a lot to me to revive this great distilling tradition — and help bring Belfast back to the forefront of Irish Whiskey production,” concluded Lavery, the company director of Titanic Distillers.

About Titanic Distillers

Titanic Distillers is situated on Thompson Graving Dock in Belfast. The dock was built in 1911 and was home to massive ocean liners including the Olympic and Titanic.

The dock remained in use until 2002 when it was left to fall into disrepair.

Eventually, the team at Titanic Distillers invested funds in rehabilitating the space, and paving the way for the new distillery.

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