I’m gonna be honest. Whiskey is not my favorite alcohol. It’s not even in the top ten for me. So, why did we go to the Jameson Distillery? Because I’ve been to Dublin over a dozen times, and I’d never been. And it was my birthday. And my friend really loves whiskey and it was her birthday, too. So, we went to the Jameson Distillery.

I’m so glad we finally went to the Jameson Distillery!

Getting to the Jameson Distillery

As you can see in my map above and linked here, the place is walking distance from a couple of tourist attractions. I’d recommend going to The Brazen Head first for a pint of Guinness and then walking over. Note: The Brazen Head is the oldest pub in Ireland, since 1198. Making it . . .OLD AF. Try to comprehend how old that is. Think about it. I’ll give you a minute.

…And we’re back! If you don’t want to get a beer in the oldest pub in Ireland, then so be it. You can grab an Uber or MyTaxi to the distillery, which is on Bow Street in Dublin. You probably will think you’re in the wrong place. It’s super industrial (because it’s a distillery, duh) and looks a bit unsafe. It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. Whiskey awaits.

Hello, Whiskey, My New Friend

The Irish spell whiskey with an E – whisk-E-y. The Scottish spell whisky without the E. So, that’s why I’m spelling whiskey like this (W-H-I-S-K-E-Y) here. It’s a thing, people. I don’t make the rules.

There are some cool old distilling mashtuns outside that you can sit on and take photos with, but the real action is inside.

Let’s Get Down to Whiskey Business

We stepped in to the tasting room/bar area, decorated with chandeliers made of Jameson bottles, sparkling like green gems. There’s a gift shop with a ton of goodies for sale – Jameson chocolate truffles, t-shirts, coasters, etc. You can buy special bottles (including from their famous Caskmates collection) and also get a custom bottle engraved on the spot. Pretty neat.

We bought our tickets for a guided tour (The Bow St. Experience) and waited for our tour guide – Jameson Ambassador, Ross, in the velvet ropes. You need to show up 15 minutes prior to your tour time if you have it pre-arranged. The Bow St. Experience Tours cost up to 22 Euros for adults and include a complimentary drink at the end, in addition to the tasting part during the tour. There are other types of tours you can do, including cocktail-making and whiskey blending.

On Tour – The Bow St. Experience at the Jameson Distillery

We lined up and looked at the photos of the Jameson family through history while we waited. Ross ushered us into the tour area and we began the tour.

There’s actually a Jameson ancestor with a dark (ok, SUPER dark) history, who we didn’t learn about on the tour. But I’m gonna tell you in my next post, because it’s interesting, macabre and shouldn’t be buried in history.

The first stop was a audio/visual room where we learned more about the history of the distillery, brand and the Jameson family.

The tour continued with a sensory experience with a special guest “guide,” where you can touch, smell and taste the ingredients used in the famous Jameson’s whiskey. You can smell the differences in the barrels used, feel and taste the barley and see the way everything comes together. Ross explained how Jameson’s is made and how it differs from other whiskies.

This tour actually got it right. It wasn’t 1) confusing 2) too dense or 3) too much info. I’ve been on a TON of production tours for whisky/ey, beer, and wine and I feel like they really nailed it. Kudos to the Jameson Distillery!

Then, we got to taste Jameson’s Irish Whiskey side-by-side with Scotch whisky and American whiskey (like Jack Daniel’s). It was really effective at demonstrating the differences – Irish whiskey is smoother and has more vanilla notes.

The tour lasts about 40 minutes. After the tour was over, we went through the gift shop, where you can bottle your own Jameson’s whiskey, buy your tchotchkes (t-shirts, key chains, hats, bar towels, etc.) and the rarer bottles to stash in your luggage and take home.

Then, you can sidle up to the bar and have a complimentary full pour of the stuff in a mixed drink (the “daily grog”), like a Jameson’s, ginger ale and lime, or on its own. You can also stay and buy your own drinks afterwards if you like. If we had been real whiskey-drinkers, we might have stayed the whole afternoon!

The Jameson Distillery Bow Street Experience – Info at a Glance

• Show up 15 minutes before your tour time
• Buy tickets online a day in advance or buy them on-site for same-day tours (link provided works for U.S. visitors)
• A comparative tasting is included
• A free drink at the end is also included
• Tickets start at 17 Euros per adult in the morning or 22 Euros in the afternoon
• Upgrade with a secret whiskey tasting to taste 4 more whiskeys for 25 Euro per person extra – if that’s your kinda thing

Pro-Tip: Book your tour for 12pm, 12:30pm or 12:45pm – you still get the morning pricing and it’s not TOO early for a cocktail. 😉

And there you have it! Oh, I almost forgot about the dark history I promised. Be warned: the info in the next post is disturbing. You’re NOT going to get this on the Jameson tour. Trust me.

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