History was made in Belfast this morning, with the first step in the production of whiskey in the city for almost 90 years.
Titanic Distillers is named after the ill-fated ship and is based in the pumphouse used during its construction.
Three copper still pots sit above giant pumps used to pump 23 million litres of water from the dry dock where the Titanic was built and launched in 1911, before it sank on its maiden voyage in April 1912.
Shortly before midday, head distiller Damien Rafferty smelt and tasted the first drops of what is called "single malt new make spirit", clear alcohol that will produce whiskey after aging in oak caskets for at least three years.
"This is a very significant day, not just for us but for the history of whiskey production in Belfast," he said.
"The last time mature whiskey was produced in the city was 1936 in the Dunville Distillery on the Falls Road in west Belfast."
Next to sample the raw product was company owner Peter Lavery, who retired from driving buses after winning just over £10m in the UK lottery in 1996.
"This is a very proud day and one that's been in the making for over five years," he said.
"When these first drops mature in three years' time it will be 90 years since the last mature whiskey in Belfast, which is quite a good achievement and a good milestone."
The pumphouse is a listed building and all the original hydraulics and pumps remain in place, with the distillery built around them.
Its doors opened to tourists in April as it prepared for the first stage in whiskey production.
"We could have built on a brown field site, but I wanted something with a bit of history, with a story to it and the story of the Titanic is one that's known all over the world," explained Mr Lavery.
"You can look into the dry dock where it was built and launched from the windows of the distillery, and we offer tours of the dock and pumphouse, as well as tasting sessions."
While the company waits a minimum of three years for the spirit to mature, the Titanic blend is being produced by distillers in Dundalk.
It is the latest addition to a booming industry that has experienced rapid expansion in the past decade.
A Friend in Hand is a specialist whiskey shop and museum a short distance away in Belfast city centre that showcases many of the brands.
Its ornate tasting room is proving popular for tour groups exploring Ireland's whiskey heritage, as well as corporate clients and private parties.
"We have around 250 different Irish whiskies," explained Jim Ingram.
"There's almost 50 distilleries operating in Ireland now and we try to represent as many of them as we can.
"There's also been a huge increase in the level of interest in Irish whiskey and the history of production in Belfast, not just in Ireland but from visitors from the US."
In its heyday, Belfast rivalled Dublin as the centre of global whiskey production, with the long defunct Dunville distillery at one point the largest in the world.
But prohibition in the United States wiped the industry out during the 1930s and it is only now making a resurgence.
"To give you an example of how important Belfast was, the general output of Belfast in 1901 was 6.7 million gallons, which was 75 per cent of the Irish market at the time," says Conor Owens who runs Belfast Hidden Tours.
"So if you're wanting to know about Irish whiskey and the island of Ireland you can definitely look at Belfast as one of the key cities, if not the key city."
Another company is due to begin distilling whiskey in Belfast's former Crumlin Road jail before the end of the year.
