Updated March 9, 2023–The historic Titanic Pump House in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter, which at one time could drain a staggering 21 million gallons of water in just over 90 minutes out of Titanic’s dry dock, is now open and will begin offering tours to visitors March 31st.
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The city’s first whiskey distillery and visitor center includes four new galleries and a new illuminated replica model of the Titanic that will form the centerpiece of the experience.
The large Edwardian pump house building was constructed in 1911 to accommodate the creation of the White Star Line’s Olympic, Titanic, and Britannic ocean liners.
Owners of the new whiskey distillery have kept all the original pump equipment and internal features of the building, and as a result, have preserved its historical integrity for future generations to enjoy.
It is the first distillery in the city to open in over 100 years producing quality malt Irish whiskey.
Visitors to Belfast’s latest attraction will be asked to “clock in” as workers did more than 100 years ago.
Afterward, they’ll get to view the workings of the distillery and hear the story of Belfast’s whiskey tradition.
This latest Belfast attraction is now offering visitors four immersive tours. They include the Signature Tour, the Premium Tour, the Dock Tour, and the Legacy Tour.
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The Signature Tour
The Signature Tour is a fully guided experience of the distillery and Pump House, allowing visitors to explore the sights and sounds of the historic building, which retains all its original pump equipment and internal features.
A tasting of Titanic Distillers’ award-winning Irish spirits is also included.
The Titanic Distillers Premium Tour
The Titanic Distillers Premium Tour brings the rich heritage of the nearby Thompson Dock to life, while showcasing the ongoing innovations in the working distillery.
On this two-hour tour, visitors will be brought to the historic dock, which was the largest in the world at the time it was built between 1903 and 1911, the year that it was officially opened.
Tours of the Pump House are included, as well as a sampling of the distillery's premium whiskey and vodka.
At the end of the tour, visitors can take home a special collector's glass.
The Dock Tour
On the Dock Tour, visitors will have the opportunity to fully explore the Thompson Dock in a 60-minute experience that will take them in the footsteps of dock workers, revealing the incredible history of the site and the scale of the engineering project.
The dock, when it was complete, measured 300 meters/984 feet long, 50 meters/164 feet wide, and 15 meters/49 feet deep.
The Legacy Tour
For a more in-depth experience, the Legacy Tour offers an extended tour of the new distillery at Thompson Dock to gain a deeper insight into the history and stories of this unique site.
That includes a tour of the Pump House, the distillery and the Thompson Graving Dock. The tour ends with a visit to the original Gwynne Pumps, located three levels beneath the distillery.
Tastings of the distillery’s premium spirits are included throughout the tour, and visitors will receive exclusive Titanic Distillers gifts to take with them.
Belfast was once the largest producer of Irish whiskey on the island of Ireland, as well as being the most industrialized city on the island of Ireland in the early 20th century, producing linen and rope, in addition to housing one of the world's largest shipyards at the time.
Popular Distilleries in Northern Ireland
Titanic Distillers is just one of a growing number of new distilleries in Northern Ireland, some of which include the Hinch Distillery located on the Killaney Estate in County Down and the Mourne Dew Distillery located in the beautiful Mournes region, also in County Down.
Northern Ireland is also home to the world’s oldest working distillery, Bushmills, which was established in 1608.
Visitors to the new Titanic Distillers can continue their Titanic journey by visiting the nearby dry dock where the Titanic was fitted out before her launch.
The dock is 853 feet long (260 meters) long and at the time it was constructed, was the largest dry dock in the world.
The Titanic Pump House is also within walking distance of the multi-award-winning Titanic Belfast, Northern Ireland’s number one tourist attraction.
Spanning six floors, it includes nine floors of interpretive and interactive galleries that explore the sights, sounds, smells, and stories of the famous liner, as well as the city, shipyard and people that made the famous liner.
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