Titanic Distillers has casked Belfast's first new-make-spirit since the prohibition era of the 1930s at the site of the historic Thompson Dock and Pumphouse, where the Titanic was built.

The milestone marks the first whiskey production in Belfast for almost 90 years and followings an £8m investment by the company to convert the listed Pumphouse in the city's Titanic Quarter.

Titanic Distillers was granted a distillers' licence to produce spirits earlier this year, and the newly installed copper stills are up and pouring at the distillery under head distiller Damien Rafferty.

“Getting production underway has been an incredible feeling and a huge milestone, not just for us but for the city of Belfast; and to now see our new-make-spirit being poured into casks for ageing, marks another big step for both Titanic Distillers and indeed the future of whiskey distillation," Rafferty said.

Titanic Distillers described the new-make-spirit as "a raw, unaged whiskey" and the foundation of what will mature into its signature single malt. It will have to age for a minimum of three year before it can be legally called Irish whiskey.

“The new-make-spirit is complex and bursting with flavour.

"The barley and yeast selection combined with the brewing process and a long fermentation has resulted in an excellent tasting new-make," Rafferty continued.

"It’s now down to the carefully selected casks and time of course, which will bring out those characteristics, colours, and flavours of maturation to round off the whiskey."

Peter Lavery, director of Titanic Distillers, said: "It’s been an incremental journey to get us to this point, and it really does feel like Christmas has come early being able to see our liquid filled in casks.

“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, as a Belfast boy, it really means a lot to me to revive this great distilling tradition. 

"This is more than just distilling a new spirit; it's about resurrecting a forgotten craft and reigniting Belfast's flame in the global whiskey scene. We're not just making history; we're reviving it."

Titanic Distillers at Thompson Dock neighbours Titanic Belfast, the Titanic exhibition centre that attracted 800,000 visitors per year prior to Covid, and the SS Nomadic tender ship, which ferried passengers to the Titanic, and HMS Caroline, a decommissioned C-class light cruiser that saw combat service in WWI.

Photo: (l-r) Damien Rafferty with Peter Lavery. (Pic: Supplied)