Construction begins at The Dublin Liberties

Quintessential Brands' The Dublin Liberties Distillery has announced that construction work has started at its new distillery and visitor centre at Old Mill Street in the heart of the Liberties.

The €15 million project will support 50 jobs during construction with a further 19 permanent positions created once the distillery and visitor centre opens. The project will see the 300 year old historic Old Mill Street building redeveloped conserving the original architecture of the building.

Speaking at a ground breaking ceremony, Darryl McNally, general manager and master distiller at The Dublin Liberties Distillery says: “Our team is working extremely hard on the new distillery and visitor centre and we are delighted that construction is underway. Our goal is for The Dublin Liberties Distillery to become one of the leading whiskey producers in Ireland. We are building a world class distillery in the heart of Dublin with a visitor experience like no other. It will perfectly compliment all the other developments in what is fast becoming the most exciting part of Dublin.”

The build will take approximately 12 months to complete. The distillery will combine traditional distillation practices with the very latest in modern technologies and features a unique natural spring water source on site to be used in the distilling process. The distillery and visitor centre will open in late Spring 2018.

McNally adds: “The new distillery will provide a home for our collection of established Irish whiskey brands including The Dubliner and The Dublin Liberties, which are on sale in over 30 international markets from the USA to Australia. We have a very clear vision for the type of best in class liquids we want to produce and the brands we want to create under The Dublin Liberties Distillery banner.”

Dublin based SSA Architects has been appointed to oversee the design and construction of the new distillery and visitor centre. The Old Mill Street building, a 300 year old former mill and tannery, will be redeveloped to retain the original historical architecture, ensuring the original frontage of the building is conserved.

Commenting, Shane Santry, SSA Architects director says: “The building is an important piece of the industrial historical fabric of The Liberties having formerly been a mill and tannery. While there is no conservation order on the building we felt that it was important to conserve the history and spirit of the Liberties whilst creating a feature that really stands out. Walking through the doors of the new distillery and visitor centre, we want people to get a real sense of what has come before, which will make the experience very special.”

23 March 2017 - Sam Coyne The Drinks Report, news editor