There is already an article about Dublin on this blog, but today we will focus only on Jameson Distillery. Whiskey production is very popular on the island of Ireland, and like the Guinness Storehouse, the Jameson Distillery is a Dublin attraction. But is it worth it?
What awaits me at Jameson Distillery?
The home of Jameson whiskey is located on Bow Street, about 20 minutes’ walk from Dublin city centre. As soon as you walk in, you’ll see two bars, a high ceiling and chandeliers made from empty Jameson bottles. Your ticket will say whether you are on route A or B. Both routes are the same, it’s just that the tours having a certain number of people that will fit in the room. Since the tour includes a tasting of three types of whiskey, I recommend not taking children and visiting when you don’t have to drive.
History, distillation, tasting
The tour consists of three parts. The first part is talking about the history, about where and why it all started, and how this popular whiskey developed. This part is very interactive and you will learn a lot. The second part is the production of whiskey itself, from water to distillation to barrels.
This part is quite interesting even for those who don’t need any descriptions and procedures, everyone gets their own stand with different degrees of distillation. The third and last part is the actual tasting of the three types of Jameson.
Your guide will guide you through the distillation process, pointing out what to look out for. I would just like to point out that this part is quite fast, so drink your glass in one go or you won’t have time to drink it at all.
At the end, you will walk through the souvenir shop and your ticket includes a voucher for one free drink. You are in the Jameson distillery, so it probably isn’t any surprise you’ll get served either Jameson, Jameson on ice or Jameson, ginger and lime. The last mentioned one is a very popular drink in Ireland these days and Jameson has spent lots of marketing money to push it towards young people. If you’re lucky enough, they’re still doing lots of free drinks around Ireland, it’s mostly city centres of Irish cities and happens in summer.
Back to the Jameson distillery now. There is two bars at which you can buy drinks, including cocktails. The overall Jameson feeling is very nice but the whole experience takes only about an hour or so. For me personally, it was great just starring at the huge amounts of Jameson.
Is it worth a visit?
So is it worth a visit? Yes and no. It’s certainly something unusual, but if you’ve just come from the Guinness Storehouse, you’ll probably be a little disappointed. Personally, I was expecting more of a ‘museum’ concept. I guess it depends on how much you like whiskey and what exactly are you looking for,