April date for opening of new Titanic Quarter whiskey distillery

Titanic Distillers will open in the old Titanic Pumphouse Credit: Duffy Rafferty Communications

Belfast's first working whiskey distillery in almost 90 years will open at the end of the month.

Titanic Distillers, which is located in the old Titanic Pumphouse, has spent almost £8 million converting the historic building in Belfast's Titanic Quarter into a fully working distillery and visitor centre.

Upon opening on 28 April the distillery will create 41 new jobs.

A listed building, the pumphouse and neighbouring Thomson Dry Dock opened in 1911 to service and accommodate the White Star Lines Titanic and Olympic ocean liners.

It was the last place the Titanic spent on dry land.

Visitors will be able to experience the workings of the new distillery and hear the story of why Belfast’s whiskey tradition ended and how it has been revived.

As part of the restoration, all of the original pump equipment and associated internal historic features of the building have been retained.

All of the original pump equipment and associated internal historic features of the building have been retained and are available to view.

Titanic Distillers Director Peter Lavery said: “It’s been quite a journey to get this far but we’re finally here and we can’t wait to open our doors to the public on April 28."

”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 we are delighted to revive this great distilling tradition - bringing Belfast back to the forefront of Irish Whiskey production, while at the same time telling the story of a historic past when we led the way globally - not just in shipbuilding but across many areas of industry, manufacturing and innovation.”

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