Anna in Dublin – Jameson Distillery Bow St.
Anna in Dublin – Jameson Distillery Bow St.
Myself and my fellow hosts got the very exciting opportunity to visit the Jameson distillery and do the Bow Street Experience! The distillery is at the heart of Smithfield so easily accessible from the Red Luas Line and for once in our lives, we all made it on time!
It was mine and most of the others’ first visit. Dan had done the tour a couple years back but he hadn’t visited since the place was renovated!
Now Jameson’s whiskey is no longer made at the distillery on Bow Street. As we learnt in our tour, the last bit of whiskey made there was in 1975. The Jameson you get nowadays is made in their distillery in Midleton, Co. Cork. The Bow St. Distillery’s main job now is to celebrate the history of the brand and acknowledge its origins here in Dublin. I think they are really doing a great job of honouring that legacy!
The Bow Street Experience is 45 minutes long. It takes you through the history of Jameson, The process of brewing and triple distilling the whiskey and of course a tasting! Incredibly good value at €25 a head, although quite a short tour, they really manage to pack a lot in!
Gavin was the name of our tour guide and he was not only extremely clear & well spoken but he had that dry Dublin sense of humour that really came out to play during the question and answer section! A quality that we at VTT can really appreciate!
The first thing that I was really impressed by were the high tech displays used throughout the experience. There is an animated display that plays as you are taken through the history which is great for visual learners like me but I was especially intrigued by the room in which you learn about the way the whiskey is brewed. Each section of the display would light up as Gavin explained how that part of the brewing process worked. It made things really clear and easy to understand or visualise.
Now I’m half Scottish & half Irish so If I didn’t like whiskey it would feel a little sacrilegious. Luckily I am a big fan of Uisce beatha so I have to say that the tasting was my favourite part of the experience! We were all given a sample of Jameson Original, Jameson Crested & Jameson Black Barrel. You could tell that there were a few whiskey nerds in the place as they were swirling the glass around and sticking their nose in for a sniff (hello Daniel) before Gavin had even started giving us instructions. He showed us how to notice the different consistencies of the whiskeys and taught us the importance of smelling the whiskey with your mouth open so the taste reaches the back of your throat.
Which was my favourite you ask? The Black Barrel! 100%. I have expensive taste!
Gavin then gave us some time to ask any questions we had and boy did the group grill him! He answered every question with ease and was full of banter!
We then all headed downstairs to redeem our ‘daily grog.’ Which is the drink that you get as part of your ticket! We had a seat under the chandelier made of Jameson bottles as we drank our ginger, whiskey & lime! You can have your daily grog neat if that’s what you fancy but none of us were that brave after the 3 shots that came before!
Overall I thought that the Jameson Experience was not only really great value for money but also so much fun and definitely something I would recommend for tourists and locals alike!
Our team was also given the opportunity to have a tour of the other amazing facilities & activities that they offer. They really do have experiences for everyone (over 18 that is)!
If you’re not a big whiskey drinker, they do cocktail classes which we caught the end of! The smell of the winter punch they were making was absolutely divine!
For more experienced whiskey lovers, they do a Black Barrel Blending Class which I have actually booked for my Dad’s birthday! (shhh! It’s a secret!) They also do a more in depth ‘Secret Whiskey Tasting’ and they even have a Whiskey Maturation Warehouse where you can try 60% cask stretch whisky straight from the barrel!
Our group had a really fun time and kept the buzz going afterwards with a few drinks and some ’30 seconds’ in ‘Bonobo’s‘ nearby!
I will be recommending this tour for years to come and I honestly think it’s the perfect place to go after your afternoon tea tour (or before if you’re brave)! Head over to our TikTok for some more behind the scenes fun at the Jameson Experience.
