A Whiskey Lover's Ireland Travel Guide

With around 50 operating whiskey distilleries and thousands of traditional pubs, the Irish drinking scene has much to offer the whiskey lover. While the island is small enough to fit into California five times over, it packs in a huge amount of distilling power and whiskey history for its size. Our suggestions will help you tailor your itinerary to ensure you take in the very best distillery tours, bars, restaurants, whiskey shops, and visitor attractions the Emerald Isle has to offer.

DISTILLERIES

Midleton Distillery Experience

County Cork

At the recently revamped Midleton Distillery Experience, visitors enter the lobby to find a wall of 1,100 whiskey bottles before being ushered into the new auditorium to watch an immersive video as the tour begins. Midleton, celebrating its 200th anniversary this year, is home to all the Irish Distillers labels—including Spot Whiskeys, Redbreast, Powers, and Method & Madness. It’s worth taking the extended Behind the Scenes tour to see the largest pot still in the world in the Old Midleton Distillery right on the same campus, as well as the Midleton micro-distillery (the experimental distillery that makes the Method & Madness whiskeys) and the Distiller’s Cottage, a historic building that’s the birthplace of master distiller emeritus Barry Crockett and also where Irish Distillers displays documents and artifacts from its historical archive. Further enhance your knowledge of Irish whiskey at the one-day Discoverer course held on-site at the Irish Whiskey Academy, Irish Distillers’ education and training facility.

Bushmills

County Antrim

The year 1608 is on every bottle, but the Old Bushmills Distillery we know today was largely built in the late 19th century after a devastating fire in 1885 destroyed the distillery that had been built there in 1784. The 1608 date relates to a general license to distill in the area granted by King James I. Bushmills expanded significantly in 2023, opening the Causeway Distillery on the same site, though it’s not part of the current tour. Tours at the Old Bushmills Distillery explain the process of making Bushmills triple distilled single malt followed by a tutored tasting of its blends and single malts. The premium tour option takes you through the range, up to Bushmills 21 year old.

Dublin

Visit the Jameson Bow Street Distillery—which is not actually a distillery but stands on the site of Jameson’s original distillery before it closed and decamped to Cork in 1975 amid Irish whiskey’s steep downturn. In the modern venue, you can learn about the history of John Jameson and how whiskey was made here in the past. There’s plenty to do, from guided tours to cocktail classes, blending experiences, and tasting flights. About a 25-minute walk across town is Teeling Whiskey Distillery, where the tour will show you around an operation that opened in 2015 as Dublin’s first new distillery in 125 years. If it’s a fine day, order a cocktail from the Bang Bang Bar to sip on the Teeling Terrace. Right nearby is Dublin Liberties Distillery, home of The Dubliner whiskey label. You can also visit Roe & Co. Distillery near the Guinness Brewery and take the cocktail workshop. Round off your trip by giving praise to the Pearse Lyons Distillery, built inside a former church.

Belfast

Distilling made a return to Belfast in 2023, having died out in the early 20th century. The city now boasts two operational whiskey distilleries, one on either side of the River Lagan. Titanic Distillers is built inside the pumphouse at Thompson Dry Dock in the city’s Titanic Quarter, where the great ship last rested on dry land. Though the current whiskeys are sourced, the distillery offers an array of tours, tastings, and cocktail experiences. Ten minutes away by car is McConnell’s Distillery in west Belfast, built inside the Crumlin Road Gaol’s A wing, a historic former correctional institution from the 19th century. Here is where McConnell’s continues its efforts to revive the historic brand, born in 1776. A wide range of tours and cocktail experiences is offered—if you want to do some time here though, just don’t ask for a lock-in.

Best of the Rest

Too many visitors to Ireland never get the opportunity to escape the city and explore. Visiting these distilleries may take time, effort, and a little transportation planning to reach, but each offers something above and beyond the standard tour. Tullamore D.E.W. offers a behind the scenes tour that includes a sample of whiskey straight from the cask; the Legacy tour at Hinch Distillery lets you taste its new make and three cask strength distillery exclusives in the warehouse; the Curious Journey tour at The Shed, home of Drumshanbo single pot still whiskey, is recommended, but don’t leave without sampling the delicious Irish fare in the café; peat lovers should head to Ardara Distillery, home of Sliabh Liag Distillers; Slane Distillery is built on the grounds of Slane Castle, the estate that hosted the most famous rock concerts in Ireland, from U2, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and David Bowie to R.E.M., Queen, and Madonna; Dingle Distillery has a wooden mash tun, three copper pot stills standing like guardians over the rest of the distillery, and small batch expressions of single malt and single pot still whiskeys; and the Shortcross Discovery tour experience at Rademon Estate Distillery allows you to taste whiskey straight from the cask with head distiller and founder David Boyd-Armstrong.

ATTRACTIONS

The Giant’s Causeway

County Antrim

Visit these remarkable hexagonal basalt columns along the coast of Northern Ireland, located just three miles from Bushmills and considered to be one of the great natural wonders of the island of Ireland. Learn about the legend of Irish giant Finn McCool.

Titanic Belfast

County Antrim

From the design and construction of the ship to its fateful maiden voyage in 1912, this impressive visitor attraction in Belfast’s Maritime Mile is one not to miss.

Kilmainham Gaol

County Dublin

The infamous jail opened in 1796 on Gallows Hill and housed numerous political prisoners. Fifteen of the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were executed in Stonebraker’s Yard within the prison grounds.

Blarney Castle

County Cork

This is the famous tower house, with parts of the castle dating back to the 16th century and earlier, where visitors can kiss the Blarney Stone if they dare.

Newgrange

County Meath

This ancient temple and tomb was constructed in 3,200 B.C., and has a passageway that is illuminated by the dawn of the winter solstice.

The Book of Kells

Trinity College, Dublin, Co. Dublin

See the famous Celtic imagery of this illustrated early Christian manuscript dating from around 800 A.D., and marvel at The Long Room library.

PUBS AND BARS

Enjoying the Irish Pub

Irish pubs began to take over the world in the ’90s, but the genuine article is truly a thing of beauty. They are unmissable for their colorful exteriors, Victorian detail, vintage branded mirrors, drinks memorabilia, and historic photographs. There’s nothing better than installing yourself on a stool at the bar to watch creamy-headed pints of stout settle as you join in the craic (the fun conversation enjoyed on a night out). There are too many fine establishments to mention all, but try to visit a few of the standout heritage bars. Belfast’s The Crown Liquor Saloon has cozy snugs (booths that offer drinkers more privacy), gleaming brass taps, and stained-glass windows; Blakes of The Hollow, in Enniskillen, is the place to go for live music, great food, and good conversation; Dick Mack’s, Dingle, has an impressive whiskey selection, craft beer, and food trucks outside; Sonny Molloy’s, in Galway, has an admirable Midleton Very Rare collection and an exclusive Redbreast, while also being a great place to enjoy a Guinness; Kehoe’s, Dublin, boasts some charming stained-glass and mahogany saloon doors, and fosters the feeling that you’ve just stepped back in time by about a century.

WHISKEY SHOPS

Celtic Whiskey Shop, Dublin, the largest selection of Irish whiskey in-store and online

James J. Fox, Dublin, whiskey and cigar specialists with their own line of Irish whiskeys

Mitchell & Sons Wine Merchants, Dublin, seventh-generation family business and the name associated with the bonders behind the Spot whiskeys from the early 1900s

The Friend at Hand, Belfast, the best specialist whiskey shop in the city, with a fascinating Irish whiskey museum

The Loop, Dublin Airport, a remarkable collection of whiskeys to take home, from Travel Retail exclusives to ultra-premium collectibles

FINE DINING

Ireland boasts five two-star Michelin restaurants and 16 one-star restaurants, while Northern Ireland has two one-star restaurants. Expect creative fine dining experiences with the best local produce from the land and sea, wine pairings chosen by the sommelier, and the best in Irish hospitality. Many of the finest restaurants are situated within the best hotels on the island, and thus adjacent to hotel bars with exemplary whiskey collections to sample after your meal.

The Oak Room, Adare Manor Hotel, Co. Limerick

Terre, Castlemartyr Resort, Co. Cork

The Bishop’s Buttery, Cashel Palace Hotel, Co. Tipperary

Ballyfin, Ballyfin Desmesne, Co. Laois

The Morrison Room, Carton House, Co. Kildare

Glovers Alley, The Fitzwilliam Hotel, Co. Dublin

TOURS

Irish Whiskey Experiences

Founded in 2022 by Irish whiskey experts, Barry Chandler, Lauren McMullan, and Anthony Sheehy, the company has built a reputation for great day trips, bespoke outings, and whiskey vacations across Ireland, with access to great distillery experiences and the people behind the whiskey. Luxury tours on the Whiskey Bus are themed around distilleries clustered in different parts of the island, with high-quality accommodations always part of the package. Now their horizons have expanded to include distillery drop-ins by helicopter, boat charters, and private distillery events. This November, the Irish Whiskey Experiences crew will set sail with 70 guests on the luxury mega-yacht Star Pride from San Juan, Puerto Rico on the company’s first Irish whiskey cruise around the Caribbean.

Whiskey Island

This Dublin-based company offers whiskey tours, golf trips, and private whiskey tastings. Whether you have a spare evening in Dublin or three days to see the heartlands of Ireland, you will be provided with expert guides, access to the best locations, and transportation. They specialize in bespoke tours and welcome inquires if you are looking for a specific itinerary.

Ireland Whiskey Tours

Offering customizable tours in luxury vehicles, tutored tastings, and five to seven-night group tours departing from Dublin, Ireland Whiskey Tours will take you from Bushmills to Midleton and everywhere in between, and work with you to create a truly memorable trip to Ireland.

Dublin Whiskey Tours

With introductions to the basics of Irish whiskey in the city’s fine pubs, Dublin Whiskey Tours gives premium and deluxe tours offering whiskey tastings with delicious cheese and chocolate pairings. They also cater for private tastings and corporate events.

Bar 1661, Dublin

This top-flight cocktail destination is named after the year that poitín was banned, the unaged Irish distilled spirit akin to moonshine. Opened in 2019, the bar is an independent enterprise working to elevate the Irish cocktail. If you are new to poitín, order their signature Belfast Coffee, which combines Echlinville Distillery’s Bán poitín with cold brew, cream, demerara sugar, and nutmeg. Set an evening aside to experience their cocktail extravaganza, where you can sample the full menu of 28 cocktails. While it sounds excessive, it’s really not, as this educational experience is presented responsibly and involves small garnished pours of the full-sized drinks with accompanying bar snacks. You do not need to finish every glass. Seated around a large table, the bartenders explain the styles, recipes, and names of the cocktails on the menu, which use 11 different types of whiskey including the exclusive J.J. Corry x Bar 1661 single malt. This session is held twice a week and can accommodate up to 10 participants.