Irish Whiskey Tasting In Dublin | 7 Experiences

If you’re planning a visit to Dublin, make sure to add an Irish Whiskey tasting experience or two (or three) to your itinerary. This historical whiskey powerhouse is making a vibrant revival with outstanding tasting options. Not only can you have a tasing experience with Jameson, the best selling Irish Whiskey in the world, there are also some amazing small batch and boutique distilleries making their mark with award-winning Irish Whiskeys. And trust me, they taste great!

Brief History of Irish Whiskey

In Irish, whiskey is uisce beatha, pronounced /ish-ka ba-ha/, which translates to “the water of life”. The way they say it there, the words sound almost like “whiskey.

Distillation of whiskey likely started in Ireland as far back as the 13th century, when monks traveling from the Mediterranean brought back the knowledge of distilling spirits. The first formal record of whiskey here, however is from the early 15th century.

By the 1800’s Dublin was the capital of the whiskey world. Its 4 biggest distillers were John Jameson, William Jameson, John Powers, and George Roe, with the capacity of about 5 million gallons!

By the late 1800’s there were more than 80 licensed distilleries in Ireland. 100 years later, there were only 3. Prohibition in the USA (Ireland’s biggest customer), Ireland’s war for Independence, and competition against the more efficient stills that started producing whisky in Scotland all led to its decline. (Note that in Ireland it’s whiskey and in Scotland it’s whisky). Sales continued to decline until all the distilleries in Dublin closed except Jameson and Powers. In the 1970’s Jameson merged with Powers and moved to Cork, leaving none.

Today there’s a vibrant revival of Irish Whiskey distilling in Dublin in the same area as it’s historical roots, the Liberties area, named as it was once outside the city walls and “at liberty” from laws and taxes. Several of these new distilleries are run and owned by the ancestors of the owners of the originals.

Even if you don’t think you are a whiskey fan, I suggest trying at least one Irish whiskey tasting or distillery tour in a Dublin. The smoothness of these triple-distilled whiskies is quite a treat!

Irish Whiskey Tasting Experiences In Dublin

All the following Irish whiskey tasting experiences are located in the Liberites area of Dublin, also known as the Golden Triangle.

To participate in whiskey tasting here, you must be at least 18, the legal drinking age in Ireland.

Jameson Whiskey Tour and Tasting

Jameson, the best selling Irish Whiskey in the world, is definitely one of the top whiskey tasting choices in Dublin. The original distillery, which opened in 1780, is located on Bowe Street in the Liberties area of Dublin.

The Jameson Tour

This distillery is no longer a working distillery as it moved to Cork in 1970’s for more space. The 40-minute Bowe Street Experience Tour here is still fascinating however, using state of the art electronics and dramatic lighting to showcase the story of the company’s history and the process to make this world-renowned whiskey.

The guided tour experience is very professional, reflecting the quality of the Jameson brand. At the end, after the tour and chance to see some barley and smell fragrant barrel wood used to impart flavor during the aging process, you get a tasting in a very elegantly-lit tasting room (below left). High class all the way.

The tasting in my tour included Jameson Crested, Jameson, and Jameson Black Barrel. Several of which were gold winners with Irish Whiskey Masters.

After the tour, there’s a free cocktail at JJ’s Bar (John Jameson’s Bar), to sit, relax, and soak up the beautiful atmosphere of this old distillery.

There is a tour upgrade option to participate is cask draw (must be purchased with your ticket).

In peak season and prime hours, tours fill up quickly, so it’s best to book in advance. As a walk in, I got lucky and was immediately added to a tour.

The basic tour is ideal for those new to Irish Whiskey and the Jameson brand. For those who have already done the tour, are familiar with the history and brand, or simply want more, there are other options. Jameson offers a Black Barrel blending class and a Whiskey Cocktail Making class. Both sound amazing. There is also a 60-minute premium whiskey tasting conducted by a Jameson Brand Ambassador in John Jameson’s office.

See the Jameson Whiskey website for details as experiences may change from time to time.

How To Get To The Old Jameson Distillery

The old distillery is located on Bowe Street on the northside of the Liffey River, about a 15-minute walk northwest of Ha’Penny Bridge. The Hop On Hop Off Bus also stops here.

Teeling Whiskey Distillery Tour and Tasting

The Teeling Whiskey Distillery, a functioning distillery that makes award-winning small batch whiskeys, is another outstanding Irish Whiskey tasting experience in Dublin. This distillery opened its doors in 2015 as the first new whiskey distillery in Dublin in over 125 years.

The phoenix rising from a pot still that they use symbolizes the re-establishment of the Teeling Whiskey brand. The historical one stood nearby in the 1700’s.

The Teeling Tour

The 60-minute tour and tasting is guided by a Teeling Brand Ambassador. The tour feels very authentic since it’s a working distillery. You can feel the warmth of the stills and smell the whiskey being processed as you are guided through distillery. They review the ingredients, how the whiskey is made, and how the aging process imparts flavor.

You also learn that the three copper pots in the distillery are named after Jack Teeling’s daughters, Alison, Natalie, and Rebecca (below left).

There are currently 3 tour tasting options after the tour: The Teeling Tasting Tour, Teeling Trinity Tasting Tour, and the Distillery Select Tasting Tour.

Get ready to be surprised if you thought you didn’t like Irish whiskey. I chose the Teeling Trinity Tasting option for my tour (below). Of the three tastings with that option, my favorite was the Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey, although they are all excellent. This delicious whiskey gets vanilla notes from the Bourbon cask and spice, dry fruit, and raisin flavors from the Rum cask.

The Teeling whiskeys are so good, they won multiple awards from the Irish Whiskey Masters over the past several years.

If you don’t have time for the tour, you can just visit the Bang Bang Bar for a tasting or two. See the Teeling Distillery website for more details and to buy tickets.

How To Get To The Teeling Distillery

The Teeling Distillery is a 15-minute walk southwest of Temple Bar. It’s also about a 10-minute walk southeast of the Guinness Storehouse.

Pearse Lyons Distillery Tour and Tasting

Owned by the Lyons family, the Pearse Lyons Distillery, is a boutique whiskey brewed in a converted church, formerly St. James Church. It’s one of Ireland’s finest small batch whiskies. This deconsecrated church dates to the 12th century with ancestral members of the Lyons family buried here.

This distillery opened in 2017, using whiskey from another distiller purchased in advance, but artfully aged in barrels by Pearse Lyons. Similar to Teeling, the whiskies here have a wonderful flavor and several have won awards at the Irish Whiskey Masters. Incredibly smooth whiskies with aromas of honey with floral notes.

The Pearse Lyons Tour

As this guided tour offers more personal information, like challenges the family overcame to renovate this former church and the fact that ancestral family members are buried in this graveyard, you walk away feeling a greater connection to this distillery. It’s hosted by what they call ‘friendly storytellers’, and they do a good job. The tour feels more personal, which is nice when you’re drinking their whiskey.

The tour starts with a tasting of a Pearse Lyons 5 year-old whiskey, before a watching video of the late Pearse Lyons providing an overview of the history. I liked the fact that we started with a tasting right off the bat. Then there is a tour of the graveyard before a tour of the distillery, where you also learn more about the renovation of the church and its many challenges.

There are 3 tour options, a Trilogy Tour and Tasting, a Signature Tour and Tasting, and a Legacy Tour and Tasting, where you get an additional 2, 3, and 4 tastings in addition to the welcome whiskey. At the end, there is also a gin tasting. For more details and to book tickets, see the Pearse Lyons website.

How To Get To The Pearse Lyons Distillery

This distillery is located on Jame’s Street across from the Guinness Storehouse. To get here, take the Dublin Bus 13, 40, or 123 from O’Connell Street. You can’t miss the church on the right hand side of the street.

Dublin Liberties Distillery Tour and Tasting

Opening in February of 2019, Dublin Liberties Distillery is one of the newer whiskey distilleries here. Also a recipient of gold awards from Irish Whiskey Masters.

Dublin Distilleries Tour

The 45-minute guided tour also starts with a drink upon arrival, a taste of their Dubliner Whiskey Honeycomb. As I was not able to do this tour, I did not try it, but it gets rave reviews so I’m very curious! Then there is a tour of the working distillery and an explanation of processes and aging.

The tour finishes with a tasting of their blended and single malt whiskeys, the Dubliner Blend and 5 year-old Oak Devil. The latter is noted to be “full of aromas of baked apples, fresh hay and warm brown sugar, it gives way to flavors of toffee apples, cider and caramel before a finish full of nutmeg, cinnamon spice, and lingering sweetness, imparted by years in American oak.” Yum!

Their website suggests booking in advance, especially for weekday tours where they request 4 days in advance (yikes!). Weekends sell out quickly. You are now understanding why I didn’t make it to this Distillery. Lol. Don’t be like me.

If you can’t book a tour, or are toured out, you can also just visit the bar where you can try their whiskies, which overlooks the distillery. See the Dublin Distillery website for details.

How To Get To The Dublin Liberties Distillery

The Dublin Liberties Distillery is located next to Teelings. It’s about a 15-minute walk southwest of Temple Bar.

VIP Roe & Co Irish Whiskey Tour and Tastings

The Roe & Co Distillery is Dublin’s newest distillery. Housed in the former Guinness power plant, it opened in June 2019.

It’s named in honor of the once famous Roe & Co Irish Whiskey Distillery from the 19th century. That facility covered 17 acres and had 8 pot stills; they were the biggest exporter of Irish Whiskey and very likely the largest distillery in the world.

It’s choice of the former Guinness power station as the home for its distillery is no accident. The two were neighbors historically, and the two biggest names in the heart of Dublin’s historic distilling and brewing quarter.

Today, it may be a lesser known venue, but it’s working to bring its remarkable history back to life, and it’s starting off well as Roe & Co also has received awards from Irish Whiskey Masters. The Roe & Co 106 in their tasting says it offers notes of soft spice and mellow spun sugar, along with warm hints of spiced pears and woody vanilla, which sounds incredible.

It’s whiskey is currently sourced, as Irish whiskey must be aged for 3 years, but they will have their own distilled whiskey soon.

Roe & Co Offerings

As of this writing their website offers several experiences. They include a 40-minute Blending Experience and a 40-minute Flavours Experience that covers the Five Pillars of Flavour; sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and umami for cocktail making. They also offer an experience called Samhain For The Senses that sounds interesting. It includes tastings, a blending, and food pairings. In the summer they also offer Irish food pairings with their whiskey in the powerhouse garden.

Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to visit this distillery either, but am hoping to try their whiskeys soon. They are available in the USA, but in limited locations.

See the Roe & Co website for full details (as offerings change) and to buy tickets.

How To Get To The Roe & Co Distillery

This distillery is located on Jame’s Street across from the Guinness Storehouse. It’s just east of the Pearse Lyons Distillery. To get here, take the Dublin Bus 13, 40, or 123 from O’Connell Street.

Irish Whiskey Tasting Tours In Dublin

If you want a different approach to whiskey tasting in Dublin, try a whiskey tasting tour. You’ll receive guided knowledge at some of the best whiskey bars in Dublin.

The following tours get great reviews:

Dublin Whiskey Tours offers 3 different tours to choose from, serving premium whiskies with an expert in some of the best bars in Dublin, like Bowes, Palace, Dingle, and Lincoln’s. Visit their website to learn about their guides and details on tour options.

The Dublin Whiskey Experience offers a two hour tour that includes some of the distilleries and some historic pubs. The tour leader, Garett Downey, has a history of industry experience and a strong passion for whiskey.

Also check out Airbnb Experiences as sometimes locals offer whiskey tasting experiences in Dublin too.

Irish Whiskey Museum Tour and Tastings

For a broader overview of the history of Irish Whiskey, the Irish Whisky Museum is a good place to start. Not associated with any specific brand, you’ll learn the history of whiskey making in Ireland, how it started with monks to the boom years when it Irish Whiskey was at its peak.

The museum is divided into sections with different rooms where you learn about sibins (a little like speakeasy’s), where whiskey was brewed illegally, to modern day Irish bars.

There are several tour options, the 1-hour tour with 3 tastings, a 1-hour tour with 4 tastings and a souvenir glass, and a premium tour which is 1-hour fifteen minutes where in addition to 4 tastings, you also make your own blended whiskey in a miniature bottle.

This tour is done in a fun and entertaining way, but if you’re doing the distillery tours, my opinion is to skip this as you learn similar information. Plus, although the whiskey tastings do change, I found the tastings at the other Dublin distilleries far superior.

My tasting included Grace O’Malley Irish Pirate Queen, Proud Irish, The Irishman single malt and single pot and Knappogue Castle 12 year single malt.

How To Get To The Whiskey Museum

The Whiskey Museum is located across from a Trinity College. It’s also few minute walk south of Temple Bar.

If you’ve enjoyed this overview of whiskey tasting tours in Dublin, please leave a comment below…I’d love to hear about your favorite experience.

Want More of Ireland?

Of course there’s more to Dublin than tasting its amazingly smooth whiskey, Dublin is also home to its even more amazing Guinness (at least in my humble opinion). But I’m not the only one that thinks that, as a visit to the Guinness Storehouse is its top attraction. And yes, the Guinness in Dublin really does taste better than anywhere else.

There’s also Dublin’s lovely Georgian architecture, a remnant of its British rule, Trinity College with its Old Library, the long room, which holds 200,000 ancient tomes including the Book of Kells, a masterpiece of artistic style from 9th century Celtic monks, tons of turbulent, but fascinating history, which you can learn about in its many museums, great food, and very friendly people.

To learn more, see my post on the Top Tourist Attractions In Dublin, Ireland.

Safe Travels!