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Limavady whiskey distillery gets go ahead
The former master distiller of the Dublin Liberties Distillery, Darryl McNally, has received planning approval to build a £10 million (US$12.5m) Limavady whiskey distillery in Northern Ireland.
McNally, who formerly worked for Bushmills and the Belfast Distillery Company, revived the Limavady Irish whiskey brand in 2021 in partnership with Vermont-based whiskey maker WhistlePig.
McNally has now received planning approval from Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council to build a distillery in Magilligan on his family’s farm, located in the northwest of County Londonderry.
“After seven years, my dream of establishing a distillery in Limavady, where Sir Thomas Phillips was originally granted a whiskey distillery licence by King James I, has finally come to fruition,” said McNally, who is the owner of the Limavady whiskey brand.
The distillery is expected to have a soft opening in late 2026, with full operations beginning in early spring 2027.
It will have a production capacity of 3.5 million bottles annually and will also be used to produce Irish whiskey brands for other companies.
The Limavady whiskey brand can trace its origins back to 1750. McNally, a descendant of the original Limavady distillery’s 18th-century operators, was born in a bar in Limavady, and has spent more than 20 years in the Irish whiskey industry.
The original distillery was located close to Coleraine, 55 miles northwest of Belfast.
The project is expected to create 12 direct jobs and 12 indirect positions within the local community.
McNally added: “The distillery will benefit our local farmers and foster the development of a high-value ecosystem, anticipated to generate tens of millions of pounds for the Causeway Coast and Glens region.”
Designed by Organic Architects and architect Gerard McPeake, the new site aims to retain the views of the coastline and mountains.
WhistlePig currently handles marketing and sales for the Limavady brand in the US and is a strategic partner for Limavady in the market.
However, the rye whiskey producer is not involved in the distillery project, McNally confirmed.
Fellow revived Irish whiskey brand, McConnell’s, opened its £12m (US$14.9m) distillery and visitor centre in Belfast last month.
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