A Newry whiskey distillery and visitors centre with the potential to create 50 jobs has been given the green light by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council.
Planning permission was granted for the £7.3m development to revive the defunct Matt D’Arcy & Company on the Monaghan Street site.
The founder of car accident firm Crash Services, entrepreneur Michael McKeown, said he plans to create 50 jobs, as well as recruiting a master distiller.
Chief executive of Matt D’Arcy & Company, Andrew Cowan, said: “This is a really special development which will create jobs, fill local hotels and bring many tourists to this eastern corridor of Ireland, perfectly positioned between Belfast and Dublin.”
Completion is expected to take around 18 months, after which the 14,000 sq ft site will feature a recreation of a Victorian-era bar, a restaurant and international visitors centre – as well as a distillery producing single malt whiskey.
It is hoped that the development will attract tourists from the US, Chinese, European and Australasian markets.
Mr Cowan said: “We have already received a significant amount of interest in the plans to develop the Irish whiskey tourism offering on this part of the island which we believe will be very successful.
“The Irish whiskey market is hugely successful and growing at a significant rate. Last year the market produced a modest nine million cases with the 2020 target of 12 million cases looking like it will be exceeded.
“Our ambition is to create a world-class tourist offering through the restoration of the 200-year-old site famous for whiskey distillation.
“Our ultimate aim is to produce around 9,000 cases per year of single malt and to retain stocks for at least 10 years aimed at the premium market.”
The Newry project is the latest in a trend for distillery development.
Shortcross Distillery at Rademon Estate has recently opened a vistors centre.
Ion Distillery in Carrickmore began the process this week of tendering for companies to carry out work on a distillery for gin, vodka and rum, as well as a visitors centre.