The founders of the Wild Atlantic Distillery in Co Tyrone have confirmed plans to develop a new build facility and visitor centre.
Brian Ash and Jim Nash made history at their Aghyaran distillery before Christmas when they uncasked the first Irish whiskey made in the area for more than a century.
The history of legal whiskey distillation in Co Tyrone is not well documented, while the Watt Distillery in Derry city was the last to make the spirit in the Derry and Strabane district in 1921.
Wild Atlantic’s inaugural release saw just 300 bottles drawn from the first cask.
But the Islandmen Irish Whiskey will be offered a broader audience this Friday night in a special celebration event in Derry city.
Around 100 guests are expected to attend the Guildhall occasion.
Ahead of the event, co-founder Brian Ash said the next phase of the Wild Atlantic project will involve a new purpose-built distillery and visitor centre, around 20 minutes from its current site in Aghyaran.
The plan for the zero emission distillery involves producing up to 600,000 litres of whiskey annually.
“It will be easy to access on the A5 main Derry to Dublin road and will bring high-quality jobs to the region,” he said.
The pair have successfully used crowd-funding to support their growth to date.
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The distillery has already achieved its target of raising £400,000 for the latest phase of the project, with 237 investors pledging £422,000 for a share.
An additional £300,000 has also been raised.
“Small scale distilling goes back hundreds of years in this north west region. But the tradition died out and was almost lost,” said Jim Nash.
“Here at Wild Atlantic Distillery, we are proud to be part of the new wave of independent, traditional, and craft distilleries blossoming in Ireland.
“Together, we are making Irish Whiskey once again, the world’s most sought-after whiskey.
“Interest in stocking the Islandmen Irish whiskey is already high among distributors across Europe, North America and Asia”, he added.
