From Cells to Stills: McConnell’s Distillery Brings Whisky Back to Belfast in an unexpected place: the former Crumlin Road Gaol.
A Revival 200+ Years in the Making
McConnell’s Irish Whisky dates all the way back to around 1776, when the McConnell brothers ran a thriving whiskey and spirits business in Belfast. By the late 1800s, they were shipping globally. But like many Irish distilleries, the brand went quiet in the early 20th century — closing shop around 1938.
A Hermit-crab of a Distillery
McConnell’s new home is in the A-Wing of the Crumlin Road Gaol, a prison dating back to 1846. Restored at a cost of €14 million, the building still has the atmosphere but with a far better drinks menu.
Today, the old dining hall is the production floor, the cells house tasting rooms, labs, and offices, and the whole thing buzzes with a very different kind of energy.
When I visited, I was shown around by Master Distiller Graeme, who I’d actually met as he worked at a different Ulster distillery a few years ago on my Vespa whisky trip for Whiskey Burn. Graeme works with a team of 40 people, including four distillers, running operations 24/7.
The Details in short:
- Grain: One ton of Irish barley across six 10,000-litre washbacks
- Water: Drawn from the historic Cromac springs
- Fermentation: 60–66 hours with dried distillers’ yeast
- Distillation: Triple distilled in Forsyths stills (they had to remove the roof to get them in!)
- New Make Spirit: Cut to 50% ABV
- Tasting notes - Baked apple, pear drops, blackcurrant jam
- Output: Around 500,000 litres per year.
- Maturation: First-fill bourbon barrels and Sherry casks from Xerez, which have previously held sherry for over 20 years.
- Bottling: Non-chill filtered and no added colour in sturdy, embossed bottles.
The McConnell’s Distillery & Visitor Experience is now open to the public with tours every hour and an On-site café, bar, and shop: 53–55 Crumlin Road, Belfast BT14 6ST.
See the video of my visit on Instagram: link / TikTok: link