The Irish News: 'This city was built on more than just ships' — Paul Kane on Belfast's whiskey heritage

Now in its sixth year, the festival has grown from a small group of whiskey enthusiasts walking between Belfast bars in 2019 to a programme of more than 100 events involving major players including Bushmills, Irish Distillers and Diageo.

The piece captures Paul's motivation in his own words: "My passion lies with the history of whiskey, the legacy that it has. I do genuinely believe that Belfast was built on more than just ships. I think it was built on people who made very good whiskey, who shipped it all around the world and put Belfast on the map before other products."

That phrase — "built on more than just ships" — has become one of the defining lines about modern Belfast's relationship with whiskey, and it captures something the festival has always been about: not just celebrating what's being made now, but reclaiming what was almost forgotten.

The article also covers the wider whiskey landscape in Belfast: McConnell's Distillery opening in the former A-wing of Crumlin Road Gaol in March 2024, less than a year after Titanic Distillers opened next to Thompson Graving Dock. "I want the people of Belfast to get behind those two distilleries," Paul says. "They are just the first two in the city. Potentially we could have more."

The piece runs through the 2024 programme's flagship moments, including the Whiskey Expo and the Irish Whiskey Industry Awards at Queen's University's Great Hall.

This remains one of the strongest pieces of long-form coverage Belfast Whiskey Week has received — the kind of journalism that takes the festival seriously as a cultural project, not just a drinks event.

Read the full profile: The Irish News — Belfast Whiskey Week: 'This city was built on more than just ships'