Belfast Distillery Company Invests In Visitor Centre

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Belfast Distillery Company invests £22m in new J&J McConnell’s Distillery and Visitor Centre

Economy Minister Gordon Lyons, Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey and Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd have visited Belfast Distillery Company at Crumlin Road Gaol to welcome the company’s £22.3million investment.

The major investment includes plans to regenerate the A Wing of the Crumlin Road Gaol into the J&J McConnell’s Distillery and world-class visitor experience, and to create 49 new jobs.

The Department for Infrastructure has provided Belfast Distillery Company with the lease to develop its distillery within the historic Grade A listed building.

Making the joint announcement, Economy Minister Gordon Lyons said: “This multi-million pound investment will see the transformation of this historic Belfast building and create 49 new jobs, contributing over £1.7million of additional annual salaries into the local economy.

“The global Irish whiskey industry has trebled in size over the last decade, and Belfast Distillery Company is already a great addition to the sector. The J&J McConnell’s Distillery and Visitor Experience will boost our economy as both an export business and a tourism offering. I look forward to following its continued growth to becoming a globally recognised brand in the international spirits sector.”

The Department for Communities and Invest Northern Ireland have provided a combined £1.9million of support towards the project.

Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey said: “My Department, through its Urban Development Grant programme, is providing muchneeded investment in north Belfast with grant funding of £656,000 for the Belfast Distillery. The project will deliver economic, social and environmental improvements as well as creating jobs and boosting tourism in the area.”

Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd said: “The historic Crumlin Road Gaol setting will enhance this regeneration project and help to maximise its economic, social and environmental benefits to the local and wider community. I welcome the ambition of this project, the expectation that the Distillery will help create jobs in north Belfast and bring more tourists into the area, and that it will play a key role in the regeneration of a significant historic building in Belfast.”

John Kelly, CEO of Belfast Distillery Company, said: “We launched McConnell’s Irish Whisky in 2020 and we have already achieved significant success in the US, Canada, Europe, Australia and China. In our home market, we are having great success with our product to date, experiencing significant support from our trade partners in hospitality and retail sectors.

“The J&J McConnell’s Distillery and Visitor Experience will become the home of our brand and will help us to take our business to the next level in the global whiskey market. The support we have received from across government has been vital to making this ambition a reality for us. We are truly delighted to be developing our distillery in north Belfast and look forward to working with and supporting our local community with employment opportunities. We look forward to helping our great city grow and develop in the years ahead.”

The distillery will extend over three floors offering 1,000 sq. m. of distilling floor-space and 1,700 sq. m. for the visitor centre, with plans to host over 100,000 visitors each year. Visitor experiences will include whiskey tours, cocktail masterclasses, a tasting bar and shop.

Job opportunities are available at various levels across sales, marketing, operations, hospitality and finance.

This project is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the Investment for Growth and Jobs Northern Ireland (2014-2020) Programme.

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Titanic Belfast Recognised As A Leader In Sustainability With Two Awards

Titanic Belfast has become the first organisation on the island of Ireland to receive Silver Awards for the Green Tourism and Green Meetings accreditations.

Green Tourism promotes greener ways for businesses and organisations to operate and the awards certification programme recognises the commitment of tourism businesses which are actively working to become more sustainable. The Green Meetings accreditation has recently been introduced as a new standard specific to meetings and events venues.

According to the Green Tourism report, the world leading visitor attraction has ‘displayed an excellent understanding of sustainability and awareness of opportunities and challenges associated with running a responsible business’ and has demonstrated ‘excellent examples of good practice such as rainwater harvesting, the combined heat and power system and a more sustainable events delegates pack’.

The Silver Awards are in recognition of the extensive sustainability initiatives and policies the world leading visitor attraction has put in place which includes a number of ambitious goals including committing to reducing energy consumption by five per cent by 2030, removing all single-use plastic items by 2025 and aiming to become a zerowaste organisation by 2030.

Denise Kennedy, Titanic Belfast’s Head of Operations and Chair of the internal Sustainability Action Team said: “We are very proud to be the first organisation on the island of Ireland to receive Silver Awards for both Green Tourism and Green Meetings. At Titanic Belfast, we have been committed to sustainability from our initial conception as a BREEAM Excellent rated building and throughout the last ten years with the implementation of lots of strong initiatives and policies. This most recently includes the introduction of our Sustainability Charter, which has been developed by a working group of employees with representatives from across all levels of the business, and outlines our Vision, Mission and Goals.

These awards demonstrate our commitment to driving forward our sustainability practices to achieve our key sustainable goals and to support this within the wider destination. We are on a journey to become as sustainable as possible and whilst we are making big strides in doing so, we look forward to continuing to work hard to create a positive impact, support our local communities and drive economic regrowth whilst protecting our environment and the Titanic legacy.”

Titanic Belfast undertook the process as part of a city-wide sustainable Green Tourism partnership funded by Belfast City Council and delivered by Visit Belfast.

Visit Belfast’s Chief Executive Gerry Lennon said: “It’s brilliant to see Titanic Belfast leading the way and becoming the first business on the island of Ireland to receive silver accreditation for both Green Tourism and Green Meetings. This recognition rewards their commitment to sustainable tourism in Belfast and their efforts to reduce their environmental impact on the wider planet. Sustainability continues to shape the future of business events and tourism, both of which play a crucial role in supporting the city-vision of transitioning to an inclusive, zero-emissions, and climate resilient economy within a generation. Congratulations and well done to all at Titanic Belfast for securing the dual award.”

For further information on Titanic Belfast’s Sustainability Charter go to www. titanicbelfast.com/sustainability