The Best Whiskey Distillery Tours in Dublin (I've Been to Every Single One)
If I asked you how old the oldest distillery in Dublin was, you might have said 1815, but no, it's 2015. That's right, the oldest working distillery in Dublin is 11 years old! You'll learn things like this and taste a lot of excellent whiskey on a Dublin whiskey tour.
I have been on all the Dublin whiskey tours, so I can give you a fair comparison of each one.
How Whiskey Tours Are There in Dublin?
Five. Teeling, Pearse Lyons, Roe & Co, Jameson & the Irish Whiskey Museum.
Teeling Whiskey Distillery
Dublin's oldest distillery. A small batch distillery that feels purpose built for tours. They do an excellent job of telling you the history of distilling in Dublin and seeing their process. Their bar is good for having a few drinks after the tour too.
My Teeling Whiskey Distillery tour review
Pearse Lyons Distillery
The only Irish owned family run distillery in Dublin. If that's not reason enough to like it, it's located in an old church. The still is on the altar. I loved all the Dublin history and that they give you a whiskey at the start of the tour. The lack of bar afterwards is the only reason that it's not my favourite.
My Pearse Lyons distillery tour review
Roe & Co Distillery
Opened by Diageo (owner of Guinness) in the old Guinness power station. They take a different approach with their tours and it's a cocktail making class, which is fun. You see the working distillery too and finish with your choice of drink in their bar.
The Dublin Liberties Distillery
This is closed for tours at the moment, but I'll be the first one through their doors when they reopen.
That's all the distilleries in Dublin, I hear you say, but what about Jameson?
Jameson Distillery Bow St.
The famous one, but, they have not made whiskey in Dublin since the 1970s, so this is just an 'experience'. Jameson is distilled in Midleton in Cork. The exhibition was well done, but I felt it was designed to move as many people through as possible. It was my least favourite of the whiskey attractions in Dublin.
My Jameson Distillery tour review
Irish Whiskey Museum
The most central of all, across from Trinity College. You can even blend your own whiskey to bring home or do an Irish Coffee Masterclass. It's the only independent experience, meaning that you get to taste whiskeys from different Irish distillers you haven't heard of.
My Irish Whiskey Museum tour review
Where Are The Dublin Distilleries?
Let's group them
- Irish Whiskey Museum is dead centre of the city, next to Trinity College
- Teeling, Roe & Co and Pearse Lyons are a 30 minute walk from Trinity College. They are in the Liberties area of Dublin. Guinness is here too
- Jameson is across the river in Smithfield. It's a 30 minute walk from Trinity or a 20 minute walk from Guinness.
How to Choose Which Tour To Do
If you are going to the Guinness Storehouse
Go to Roe & Co. They have same owners as Guinness, so this one combination ticket gets you into Guinness Storehouse, Roe & Co Distillery and also the Guinness Open Gate Brewery.
If You Only Have Time for One
Go to Teeling. It's my favourite. It has a good balance of everything.
Can You Do Two in a Day?
The Guinness Storehouse & Jameson Tour is the most popular combination in Dublin. So many of my walking tour guests do this one.
The Irish Whiskey Museum has music on Friday and Saturday nights, so you could do any of the other distillery tours in the afternoon, then do the museum tour followed by music.
I don't have much time. Which should I do?
Easy, go to the Irish Whiskey Museum. It could not be any more centrally located.
What if you're not a whiskey lover?
The Pearse Lyons tour has a lot of Dublin history and the cool factor of the church. Plus they make gin & vodka. You could ask for a tasting of those instead of whiskey.
Why Didn't You Like Jameson?
It's just me 😄 because Jameson has the highest reviews of all the distilleries. It just had that corporate feel where we were being processed along like cattle. But the building is beautiful and the bar is very lively & social.
Save with the Dublin Pass
If you are going to a few distilleries, look into the the Dublin Pass. It gets you into Dublin's top 40 attractions for one flat fee. Get into the Guinness Storehouse, Jameson Distillery, Teeling Distillery. The included Hop-on Bus will bring you to them.
Everything after that is free, EPIC, Christchurch, plus my own favourites, the Little Museum of Dublin, the Jeanie Johnston Famine Ship.
👉Buy the Dublin Pass here.
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