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Titanic Distillers brings whiskey back to Belfast
With historical ties to the ill-fated ship, Titanic Distillers has become the first working whiskey distillery in Belfast in almost 90 years.
Titanic Distillers celebrated a milestone last week, when it brought whiskey production back to Belfast for the first time since Prohibition (88 years).
The distillery, which has been welcoming visitors since April, is located on the site of the historic Thompson Dock and Pumphouse, otherwise known as the birthplace of the Titanic. With a distillers licence secured, the company has officially started its spirit run.
“To finally begin production on site is an incredible feeling and a huge milestone, not just for us but for the city of Belfast,” head distiller Damien Rafferty said. “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.”
The group behind Titanic Distillers has spent more than five years on the project, and invested nearly £8 million (US$10.2m) in converting the Pumphouse into a working distillery, which will now produce single malt whiskey on three Forsyth’s stills.
All of the Pumphouse’s original equipment and historic features have been retained and can be viewed as part of the visitor tour.
“Our ambition, from the outset, has always been to embrace the history of our distillery’s location to create a unique product and visitor experience,” Stephen Symington, director of Titanic Distillers, said.
“However, outside of the site’s massive tourism appeal and historic significance, it is important to recognise that, from this moment forward, we are now a working distillery in which we will be producing our own products to build on our success to date and make the most of the growing global demand for Irish whiskey.”
The Thompson Dry Dock opened in 1911 to service massive transatlantic liners like the Titanic.
Titanic Distillers at Thompson Dock is near Titanic Belfast, the world’s biggest Titanic exhibition centre and Northern Ireland’s top tourist attraction, which drew more than 800,000 visitors per year prior to the pandemic.