A private three day trail departing from and returning to Dublin. We visit five working distilleries including the home of Jameson. Lots of essential Ireland sightseeing along the way
DAY 1
We pick up at your Dublin hotel at 10am and our 3 day whiskey adventure begins! Today, you will discover Ireland’s Ancient East. We’re travelling through the lesser beaten tourism track and we’ve two fantastic distillery visits lined up for you today. Our first stop is in the neighbouring county of Wicklow, famed for it’s country estates. We’re stopping at Powerscourt Estate this morning and we’re visiting Powerscourt Distillery – a smashing start to this 3 day adventure. The distillery is set in a restored mill house on the estate. A highlight of this tour is the visit to the onsite maturation warehouse. We finish in one of the stylish tasting rooms for a tutored tasting of Fercullen whiskeys. Time at leisure on Powerscourt Estate – pop over to the 18th century mansion for lunch and discover the landscaped gardens – voted No. 3 in the Top 10 Gardens of the World – by National Geographic! We continue south, taking the very scenic route through County Wicklow, all the way to County Kilkenny.
Just on the outskirts of Kilkenny you’ll find a wonderful artisan Irish family farm distillery – Ballykeefe Distillery. It is from this area that the first written account of distilling in Ireland comes in 1324. It was written in the Red Book of Ossory. The word ‘whiskey’ is an Anglicisation of the Gaelic phrase ‘uisce beatha’ meaning ‘water of life’. It’s here that you discover the history of Irish whiskey – at its birthplace. You’ll be walked through the farm’s mill house, to the brewhouse, to the copper pot stills and lastly to the warehouse where their whiskey is still sleeping soundly. You’ll also see the on-site bottling plant. You will finally be taken to the tasting rooms, transformed from the horses stable where you’ll sample Ballykeefe’s own gin, vodka, poitín and their new, eagerly awaited Single Pot Still Whiskey and Single Malt! Ballykeefe is really special – it’s small scale and it’s the first farm distillery to open in Ireland in 200 years. Sustainability is a big part of their story and they are a proper bona fide single estate distillery.
We’re just a short drive to Kilkenny. Kilkenny is a medieval city in southeast Ireland, arguably the most prominent medieval city in the country. We’ll leave you to explore it at leisure this evening. We’ve booked you at a 5* hotel on the edge of town. You can transfer into the city to discover the grand Kilkenny Castle which was built in 1195 by Norman occupiers and overlooks the town. The town has deep religious roots and many well-preserved churches and monasteries, including the imposing St. Canice’s Cathedral and the Black Abbey Dominican priory, both from the 13th century. It’s also a crafts hub, with shops along its winding lanes selling pottery, paintings and jewellery – a shopper’s paradise! There’s no shortage of pubs with live music and great restaurants to choose from for dinner (we’ll ensure you’ve plenty of good recommendations!)
DAY 2
Enjoy a famous full Irish breakfast in your hotel, at your leisure this morning. We hit the road for Waterford, we’re travelling on very remote rural roads today for 90 minutes to the small sleepy village of Ballyduff, home to Blackwater Distillery, on the banks of the River Blackwater. Peter, John and Caroline operate a micro-distillery at Blackwater, making a delicious small-batch gin and they are making a big name for themselves on the Irish whiskey scene, resurrecting and working with historical mashbills, recipes from the era when Irish whiskey was king of the world. You will try some of their initial releases and enjoy legendary hospitality from the Blackwater crew.
We transit across the county of Waterford to County Cork, finishing in the docklands of the city, where Rebel City Distillery is found, another small-batch Irish operation.
Rebel City is the first distillery to open in almost 50 years in Cork City. The distillery is breathing new life into a former Ford factory building. Co-founder Bhagya Barrett is your Host. Delve into the heart of this innovative venture as Bhagya shares her entrepreneurial odyssey, from inception to success. Explore the intricacies of distillation first hand and gain exclusive insights into the artistry behind Rebel City’s distinctive spirits. This unique experience offers a rare glimpse into the world of craft spirits and entrepreneurship. Maharani Gin & Tonic on arrival , Neat tasting of Maharani Gin , Rebel City Distillery Absinthe & Vodka and a guided tour in the craft distillery included.
We will then drop you at your 5* hotel for check in and you can explore the magic of Cork at your leisure tonight, or simply just chill out at your hotel.
DAY 3
Full Irish breakfast at your hotel, at your leisure this morning. Then we head to the nearby town of Midleton. We’ve spent the previous two days visiting small batch distilleries in Ireland, and today we’re at the brand home of some of the biggest Irish whiskey brands of them all – Midleton Distillery Experience. The biggest selling Irish whiskey, Jameson, was made in Dublin for 200 years, but since 1975, Jameson has been produced down here in Midleton, East Cork. Most people take the regular tour here, but we’ll make sure we secure you spots on the BEST tour available at this attraction..Behind the Scenes Tour, if you enjoy Jameson / Redbreast / Green Spot – you will love this! You will enjoy a very special extended tour here at Midleton Distillery, gaining a deeper insight into history, production and heritage. On this tour, one of the expert ambassadors will guide you around some of the key buildings; the Cooperage, the Maturation Warehouse and a very special visit to the Distiller’s Cottage. Tastings of premium whiskeys are included throughout the tour, just a stone’s throw away from the stills where they are made to this day.
If you still have some room left in your suitcase 🙂 take some time for shopping in the Jameson store and we can book you a table at a nice restaurant nearby for lunch, and there is also a restaurant onsite at Midleton Distillery. We then start to head north back towards Dublin. We will take a rest stop half way through at a wonderful little town called Cashel with it’s imposing Rock of Cashel. Feel free to wander up to this most spectacular archaeological site for a visit .We continue the journey back towards Dublin City, and we’ll have you back at your hotel at about 6:30pm.
NB – many of the distilleries on this itinerary are small operations and some of our hosts at each may possibly be otherwise engaged on your requested travel dates. If that is the case, we may swap out some of the above stops for other similar distilleries, which might mean we’ll need to tweak the programme.
We do not include lunch and dinner in the package, but we are happy to make recommendations and reservations for you. Breakfast is included each morning.
Private escorted touring through Ireland’s Ancient East, predominantly through counties Wicklow, Kilkenny, Carlow, Waterford, Cork, Tipperary.