Tourism NI hosts distillery learning journey

This initiative brought together 12 distilleries from across the region, fostering connections, networking, and knowledge exchange among peers, with a shared focus on sustainability, food and beverage, and retail within their visitor experiences.

The itinerary included visits to six diverse distilleries, ranging from smaller craft operations to larger estate-based facilities, offering valuable insights into best practices and innovative approaches.

The Northern Ireland businesses which took part in the learning journey were Titanic Distillers, The Echlinville Distillery, Hinch Distillery, Bushmills Distillery, Rademon Estate Distillery, Killowen Distillery, Two Stacks Whiskey, Wild Atlantic Distillery, The Copeland Distillery, The Boatyard Distillery, Walled City Brewery and Woodlab Distillery.

The group visited Teeling Whiskey Distillery, Pearse Lyons Distillery, Roe & Co Distillery and Stillgarden Distillery, all based in Dublin, and Powerscourt Distillery and Wicklow Wolf Brewing Company, both in Co Wicklow.

By strengthening connections within the Northern Ireland Spirits Trail Network and encouraging collaboration with industry leaders across the island of Ireland, the learning journey aimed to enhance visitor offerings, foster innovation and amplify community impact.

Gary Quate, Food and Drink Manager at Tourism Northern Ireland, said: “This learning journey provided owners and managers with the opportunity to engage directly with successful practices and explore innovations that benefit businesses and visitors alike.

"We look forward to seeing the ideas and partnerships which will emerge from this initiative as the distilleries work to deliver even more compelling reasons to visit in 2025 and beyond.”

He added: “Tourism Northern Ireland would like to extend its thanks to the industry partners who took the time to meet with us and who so generously hosted us during our short time with them.

“Their hospitality and willingness to share their experiences were invaluable to the success of this initiative.”