Dublin is home to two drink brands that have spread their marque, and made their mark, all over the world. And both are keen to share their heritage, induct you into the mysteries of their production and ply you with their wares on guided tours. There’s the Guinness Storehouse where the black stuff is promoted and there’s Smithfield’s Old Jameson Distillery where the rather more potent stuff is celebrated.
The Jameson museum is situated in the old distillery and you can take informative tours where the history and culture of the drink, its production and the Jameson brand are brought to life. The whiskey is today produced in a modern facility in County CorkOpens in a new window, but somehow, despite the tourist trappings, the authentic aura of the Old Distillery lives on.
The tour itself takes just over half an hour before the sampling begins, but in that time you can learn an awful lot. Through film and exhibitions you are taught how whiskey was made, its history in Ireland, the points of difference between Irish and Scotch whiskey.
Drams are made available in the Jameson Bar, and there’s the chance to test your palate and sample whiskeys from all over the world.
Of course, after you leave there are plenty of welcoming Smithfield pubs just waiting for you to continue your education!
It would be rude not to, after all.
