Belfast celebrates whiskey return as triple-distilled poured for first time in 90 years

After almost 90 years, whiskey is being distilled again in Belfast with the first pour bringing tears to the eyes of those behind the project.

Titanic Distillers pumped £8million into the conversion of the listed Pumphouse, which sits in the historic dock where Titanic was built.

The old pumps, which were used to drain the Thompson drydock for workmen to paint the ship, lie below the new copper pot stills where the distillery is now in operation.

The unique floor plan creates an open space for visitors to see the old and new together.

Titanic Distillers Director, Peter Lavery, was emotional as the Head Distiller called him over to take the first sip of the new make spirit - which will now need to mature in a wooden cask for three years before it can be sold as whiskey.

"To try and convert the old Pumphouse into a new modern distillery and visitors centre was a task and a half but our team of structural engineers and architects were able to achieve it and preserve the building in its full entirety, which is unbelievable.

"I'm just delighted this is the day that after all hard work for five and a half years, the first triple distilled has come off the still... it did bring a tear to my eye," said Peter.

Head Distiller, Damien Rafferty, told UTV: "Our tagline is 'blood, sweat and years' and there is a lot of blood, sweat and years goes into producing this whiskey and it's almost like a nod to the past of the shipyard workers that were here and the amount of effort they put in to their day to day work and we feel that we're replicating that in a modern way."

Titanic Distillers may be a boutique, small-city distiller but their vision is global, with sights set on America as their next big market.

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