Kicking off at McConnell’s Distillery, the guests will spend seven days travelling across Northern Ireland visiting the region’s leading distilleries and gaining behind-the-scenes access with brand homes, master distillers and blenders.
The tour operator behind the visit, Irish Whiskey Experiences, is a company offering unique and immersive getaways that delve into the stories, craftsmanship, and heritage behind Irish Whiskey. The company was founded in 2022 on the back of substantial growth in whiskey tourism, which drove 677,000 visits to Ireland – a 425% increase on 2021.
While Northern Ireland tourism exceeded pre-pandemic levels last year overall, the number of overseas visitors remained well below 2019 figures. Irish Whiskey Experiences are optimistic that growing interest in whiskey tourism and demand from international markets will help drive a resurgence in overseas visitor numbers:
“As we’ve grown, we’ve seen significant interest from whiskey enthusiasts from across the US, Europe, and Asia,” says Lauren McMullan, Director at Irish Whiskey Experiences. “We’re thrilled to launch our first international Irish Whiskey tour in Northern Ireland. We chose to base our tour in Belfast, which once rivalled Dublin as a leading producer of Irish whiskey on the island, due to the rich heritage here and the proximity to almost 10 distilleries within an hour’s drive of the city.
“We’re excited to be launching our trip at McConnell’s Distillery, which is helping to restore Belfast’s legacy as a premier whiskey destination.”
McConnell’s Irish Whisky unveiled its new distillery, Belfast’s newest tourist attraction, following the transformation of A-Wing at Crumlin Road Gaol earlier this year. Its striking design and compelling brand story have quickly made it a must-visit destination, drawing a significant number of tourists from around the world.
Graeme Millar, Master Distiller at McConnell’s said:
“McConnell’s Irish Whisky is long established brand, dating as far back as 1776 when Belfast was an industrial heavyweight in whiskey production. However, despite our rich heritage and deep seated roots in this city, we had been without a home for many years. That has all changed now, thanks to our new distillery and visitor experience at Crumlin Road Gaol which is already captivating the imagination of whiskey enthusiasts from around the world. We’re delighted to be playing our part in bringing distilling back to Belfast and to be the first to open our doors to the Irish Whiskey Bus on their grand tour.”
Eoin Ó Catháin, Director of the Irish Whiskey Association, expressed his enthusiasm for the future of whiskey tourism:
“This year, Irish Whiskey Distilleries and Visitor Centres welcomed over 800,000 enthusiasts eager to learn more about our premium product, a massive increase of over 20% on the previous year. The story of Irish Whiskey goes back 700 years, and we are heartened to see so many international visitors interested in our culture and heritage. No distillery exemplifies this better than McConnell’s Distillery, and an Irish Whiskey tour couldn’t start at a more iconic place.”
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