Irish prison to become distillery

The former prison.

Distilling is coming back to the capital of Northern Ireland.

Peter Lavery, a lottery millionaire who last year launched two whiskies being distilled in the Republic of Ireland, is heading a group putting up £5 million ($7.9 million US) to create a distillery in the notorious Victorian-era Crumlin Road Gaol that has been closed since 1996.

Lavery, a former bus driver who won US$16 million in 1996, heads a local consortium called Belfast Distillery Company. Once created, their distillery will produce the Titanic and Danny Boy brands now being made at the Cooley Distillery in County Louth.

Jim Beam, the U.S. bourbon maker that recently bought the Cooley distillery, will provide the technical support for the new project, which will produce 5- and 10-year-old malt whiskey.

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