No trip to Ireland is complete without hitting the road (obviously with a sober designated driver) and sampling the many beverage delights on offer. I’ve worked out why the Irish are so cheery and full of charm because they produce plenty of booze in the many distilleries and breweries across the country. I mean, being so near to a source of alcohol is bound to put a smile on the locals faces, isn’t it!
Here are three of the best places to visit if you want to drink up (and learn more about) what Ireland has to offer. Sláinte!
Located in the buzz of Dublin city, the Guinness Storehouse is a must for visitors who love this iconic drink. It can be a bit of a maze as you slowly make your way to the top of the huge storehouse, where a stunning glass walled bar offers the best views of the city skyline.
Either with a hand held guide gripped to your ear or just following the series of signs on your own, you take in interesting and modern displays, a new tasting area where smells are wafted around the room to get your taste buds ready, then a small shot-glass sized drop of Guinness to wet your whistle. As it’s all self-guided it means the more popular areas can get really busy so expect a short wait depending on the time of year you come.
The good thing is that the staff at the bar are used to churning out pints of the black stuff so you don’t have long to wait for your free drink but finding somewhere to sit and enjoy your hard earned pint is another thing. Personally I’d take in the information on the history, the brewing process and the iconic adverts dotted on each level, before hitting a real Irish pub to leisurly enjoy the creamy stout.
Jameson Whiskey Distillery
There are two Jameson distilleries; one in Dublin and the other in Middleton. When my dad and I were having our dad and daughter roadtrip we fancied taking in the latter so we could also tick off a trip to Cork in the process. I’m not a huge fan of whiskey but for my dad this was a must-see experience.
The tour is split between buildings so a lot of the time is spent walking outside to the separate areas of the distilling process. Fine for us, as we visited on an exceptionally sunny day, but not so great if you were to trudge through the rain on your mission to get a free glass of the golden whiskey at the end.
In a large group we were shown a short film then led through to the various buildings, out houses and factory rooms showing off the huge machines they used to use to perfect the art of whiskey making. The only downside was feeling like you had to hurry before the next group turned up especially as many of the tours for the day had sold out.
Whilst having your well-earned free glass of Jameson (or a soft drink) don’t leave without using the few tablets stuck to the wall in the bar, where you can pop in your details to be sent a digital Taste Master certificate to then print off at home! Fancy.
The last brewery we visited was the lesser-known Smithwick’s Experience, lesser known to me anyway. Apparently this amber ale is glugged in the gallons by Americans and Irish alike and was the jewel in the pretty town of Kilkenny. I have to admit I wasn’t expecting much but it certainly stood its ground (and then some) with the two previous booze tours we’d been on. A guided tour by a lovely lady called Petra took us and a small group of tourists around the building that had been carefully designed to show off their much-loved drink.
Interactive holograms, interesting tasting rooms, easy to understand brewing process and some funny anecdotes that flowed from our tour guide’s head, made this tour feel a lot more personal and enjoyable.
Sat in the busy bar afterwards, where they even provide phone chargers and ways on engaging with them via social media, I was impressed by the time and effort put in for tourists. Out of the three places we’d tasted a tipple (or two) this for me certainly had most of that addictive Irish charm about it. It was also the one where my dad spent most of his euros in the gift shop and that’s saying something!
Have you ever been on a distillery or brewery tour before?
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