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Ireland’s first whiskey hotel to open
Hotelier Adrian McLaughlin and Limavady founder Darryl McNally have joined forces to create a whiskey-themed hotel in Northern Ireland.
The Londonderry Arms Hotel in Carnlough, County Antrim, in Northern Ireland, will be transformed into a whiskey hotel with a £1.75 million (US$2.25m) investment.
The historic building, built in 1848, was once owned by Winston Churchill, whose deeds are displayed at the site.
The hotel was acquired by McLaughlin, McNally and businessman Carl Harrison in 2024 from the O’Neill family, marking the first change in ownership in 75 years.
Situated on the Causeway Coastal route between Belfast and the Giant’s Causeway, the hotel is a popular stopover for visitors and tourists, with almost 30% coming from the US and Canada.
The trio has big plans for the new whiskey enthusiast destination.
“We are delighted to be launching Ireland’s first-ever whiskey hotel. We will create a retail Whiskey Chamber, from which we will offer up to 400 bottles of whiskey and other items such as whiskey and hotel-branded merchandise,” said McNally.
“The hotel pub will offer a selection of whiskey cocktails and whiskey-tasting flights, and we are putting together an events plan that will offer exceptional whiskey experiences, including our own Carnlough Whiskey Festival, whiskey and food pairing evenings, master distiller dinners and talks, and bar takeovers from some of the World’s Best Bars.
“Whiskey will be an integral part of the hotel, down to offering the residents nightcaps from a tapped, unfiltered Limavady Whiskey cask. We will also be offering a turndown gift of whiskey-infused chocolates. We’re excited to bring the Irish whiskey community together with Ireland’s first whiskey hotel.”
The Londonderry Arms is currently recruiting staff for the hotel, which is due to open after refurbishment by Easter 2025.
“We are pleased to be recruiting staff and adding to the current management team of the Londonderry Arms with a general manager, trainee manager and marketing manager,” said McLaughlin. “Our kitchen will see three new full-time roles, and we anticipate up to 10 other new roles, which are in line with our anticipated increase in demand across the food and beverage, rooms, and events departments.
“Like all good Irish pubs, we will offer traditional Irish music at weekends and classic Irish pub favourites such as Irish stew, chowder, locally sourced salmon and amazing aged steaks. This is a good news story for the region, and we are confident that we will make a tangible difference in the village of Carnlough.”
McNally has also secured planning permission to build a distillery in Limavady in Londonderry. Due to open in 2026, the distillery will be home to the Limavady Irish single malt, which dates back to 1750.
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