Belfast is continuing slowly and steadily rediscover its Irish whiskey heritage with the help of a Scot.
Paul Kane is one of the key figures helping the city tell its often forgotten spirit story.
A native of Lanark, just outside Glasgow, the 42-year-old is the driving force behind the largest whiskey festival on the island of Ireland, Belfast Whiskey Week.
Now in its sixth year, the annual festival returns this Friday with nine days packed with events.
From humble origins, when a small group of whiskey enthusiasts ambled around a number of Belfast bars and restaurants in 2019, the festival now spans more than 100 events, with involvement from major players including Bushmills, Irish Distillers and Diageo.
But at its core, Belfast Whiskey Week remains an independently run affair, driven by people who are passionate, not just about whiskey, but about Belfast and what it has to offer.
The festival grew out of a whiskey club set up a decade ago by a group of enthusiasts who used to meet in The Hudson bar.
Michael Morris and Michael Stewart were among its founders.
“These people had a vision even then, that a whiskey club would survive and thrive in Belfast,” said Paul.
“And although The Hudson is gone, the whiskey club survives.”
Paul Kane later took over the running of the club, which by 2019 had around 20-30 members.
In May 2019 he announced plans for the first whiskey festival in July that year.
“At that time there was talk of a distillery being opened in the city and I said you know what, maybe we start something.
“I’m from Scotland and I see all the cool events there related to whiskey.
“But Ireland is full of whiskey heritage, Belfast is steeped in it.
“All I hear in Belfast is shipbuilding and the Titanic, I hear about the linen and flax production, and really I hadn’t heard any conversations at that point about whiskey production and the importance to the economy and the building of Belfast.
“I think sometimes Belfast has lost that conversation. Maybe it’s because of the religious politics here, where people maybe see alcohol as something that wasn’t to be spoken about.
“I think we’ve missed that conversation, so it’s about bringing that back.”
Telling Ulster’s whiskey story is very much part of the festival, with walking tours now an annual staple courtesy of people like Conor Owens of Belfast Hidden Tours and Marty McAuley.
This year will also see three distillery day excursions to Two Stacks in Newry, Copeland in Donaghadee and Echlinville on the Ards Peninsula.
The nine-day programme includes cocktail events, theatrical experiences, sensory experiences, dining and drink collaborations across 20 venues.
“The design of the festival is to ensure you experience whiskey, but in doing so, you experience far more than that,” said Paul.
“You experience the city, the culture of the city, the people, the food and experience that laugh… that fun, that joyful part of Belfast, which is referred to as the craic.
“That to me is a festival.”
This year will see Diageo involved for the first time, with Michael Flatley’s new whiskey venture also taking part.
Australian brands and distillers will also return this year.
“They want to be here, they see the connection between Ireland and Tasmania as integral, particularly when it comes to whiskey,” said Paul.
This year will be the first time the festival will take place with two working whiskey distilleries in Belfast.
McConnell’s Distillery opened in the former A-wing of Crumlin Road Gaol in March 2024, less than a year after the Titanic Distillery opened next to Thompson Graving Dock.
“I want the people of Belfast to get behind those two distilleries,” continued Paul.
“They are just the first two in the city. Potentially we could have more.”
He said the growing whiskey production industry is also driving tourism.
“They have their distilling, that’s number one priority. But the secondary industry created by these distilleries is tourism.
“You don’t get that with milk production or paper mills. It is creating levels in the economy.
“People are now coming here from America, from Europe, they’re making an effort to come here,” added Paul.
“I see the festival growing in incremental steps. When I look at Fèis Ìle, there are thousands of people who make the pilgrimage to Islay, to a place where there’s not much infrastructure, yet we have the same number of distilleries here in Northern Ireland and a good transport network.
“You can get here by plane and it’s quite cheap and accessible.
“We have that.
“I’m passionate that the festival grows and becomes competitive with its counterparts in Scotland and around Europe.
“That might be a mad idea, but I think it’s possible.”
This year’s festival will close out with the expo on July 26, which relocates for the first time to the fully restored St Comgall’s site in west Belfast.
That will be followed by the Irish Whiskey Industry Awards at Queen’s University’s Great Hall on Saturday July 27.
So where does the passion and ambition come from to both run and grow the festival?
“For me it’s pretty simple,” said Paul. “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.
“We’ve seen all of that history parked for nearly 70 years. Why? Why has a city with such heritage ignored it?
“My passion is that I want to see all of that come back. I have a drive to make that happen.”
For the full festival programme and to buy tickets visit belfastwhiskeyweek.com.
