There are many reasons to visit Dublin. It’s a fantastic destination with a lot of things to do and a lot of history. Of course, there’s also a lot of great Irish whiskey tours in Dublin to go on.
Make sure you save some time to check out these fantastic distilleries and tours that will give you more insight into the history of Irish whiskey, and teach you the distillation process all Irish whiskeys go through on their way to the bottle.
» You might be interested in The Differences Between Irish Whiskey and Scotch Whisky.
Each of these tours includes a tasting of fine Irish whiskey. If you’re not yet familiar with the triple-distillation that Irish whiskey goes through, you may not realize how smooth and easy to drink it is. Why not give it a try while you’re in Dublin.
If you’re not new to whiskey, there are premium and upgraded tours that both give more in depth information and include more premium whiskeys to try. So there’s something for everyone on a whiskey tour. Better yet, all of these tours are within easy walking distance of the Dublin city center, so you don’t have to figure out a way to get there, or take an expensive taxi ride.
With most tours starting multiple times per day, you can fit it easily into your schedule. As long as you’re in the area, you might as well check out these 4 Scotch Whiskey Distilleries, too! After all, Scotland is just next door.
⇒ Also a coffee lover? We’ve got a great list of coffee shops in Dublin to try.
Irish Whiskey Tours in Dublin
Dublin Small Group Whiskey Tour
If you don’t want to walk to all the distilleries and set up the tours individually by yourself, then taking a small group whiskey tour is a great way to go. With a pre-planned tour, you’ll get to enjoy multiple whiskey tastings in Dublin with fellow whiskey enthusiasts on a day tour that’s arranged for you.
Learn about Dublin’s boozy history, dating back to the 19th century when it was the whiskey capital of the world. You’ll enjoy diverse tasting experiences at each stop, from the Irish Whiskey Museum to the Jameson Distillery to Roe & Co Distillery. Along the way, your guide will answer questions and provide personalized attention to your group.
Book a small-group whiskey tour
Teeling Distillery Tour
Address: 13-17 Newmarket, The Liberties, Dublin 8, D08 KD91
When the Teeling Distillery is the first distillery to open in Dublin in over 125 years, the Teeling’s aren’t new to Irish Whiskey. In fact, the family has been distilling whiskey since 1782.
The Dublin distillery opened to visitors in 2015, in the Newmarket area, where breweries and distilleries used to be aplenty in Dublin back before they faded away in the 70s. Teeling Irish Whiskey is triple distilled, carrying on the traditional style.
When you visit the distillery, you’ll have a chance to walk through a whiskey museum that tells the history of Irish Whiskey in Dublin.
You’ll then be introduced to the whiskey distillation process in a room where you can touch, smell and taste the grains that are used, and see how everything works. This is followed by a tasting of a few Teeling whiskies in the tasting room/bar area, called the Bang Bang Bar.
The price of your tour depends on which tasting you choose. There are three different options, so choose wisely. The tasting we had included a cocktail made with whiskey. It was incredibly good.
I was particularly enamored with the single malt whiskey. There’s also a single batch and single grain. Five different wine casks were used for the single malt whiskey (Sherry, Port, Madeira, White Burgundy, Cabernet Sauvignon). Maybe that’s why I liked it so much. All of that complexity in one whiskey.
All of them were very smooth and easy to drink, as Irish Whiskey should be. Once the tour is over, you can head to the bar for more tastes, or look around the shop. All of the whiskeys they currently sell are available in small and large bottles in the gift shop.
Tours are run every day, every 20 minutes, but they still fill up really fast, so be sure you book online well in advance.
Book a skip-the-line tour & tasting | Website
Jameson Distillery Tour
Address: Bow St, Smithfield, Dublin 7, D07 N9VH
It’s really easy to book a tour at the Jameson Distillery. It’s located within easy walking distance of the central Dublin core, and there are tours starting twice an hour every day. On the Jameson whiskey tour, you’ll learn a lot about the distilling process they use to make Jameson whiskey.
The Jameson experience has been upgraded and renovated to include a section with historical facts about the distillery and whiskey in Dublin, plus an area where you can see, smell and touch the ingredients that are used, and a really nice tasting room, where you’ll be able to try whiskey from three different countries, to see the difference between a single, double and triple distillation. The triple distillation is what makes Irish whiskey so smooth and easy to drink.
At the end of the tour, or if you’d rather just have a visit without a tour, you can sit at the bar and order whiskey drinks and cocktails. The bar is rather spacious, with lots of places to sit and relax. There’s also a shop where you can purchase Jameson whiskey and other products, like glasses, t-shirts and souvenirs.
Book a guided tour and tasting | Website
Irish Whiskey Museum Tour & Brunch
Address: 119 Grafton Street, Dublin, D02 E620
Taking a tour through the Irish Whiskey museum is another great way to spend some time learning about whiskey. Along the way, you’ll learn about the history of whiskey in Ireland, how it was once so prosperous and how it eventually faded away, before being revived now once again.
The tour is an interactive experience, so you don’t have to worry about it being boring. The guides walk you through the displays and explain everything as you become emerged in history. Once the tour is over, you’ll have a tasting of 3 Irish whiskeys – 4 if you choose the premium tour.
You can also add a blending experience to your tour, where you’ll get to blend your own personalized mini bottle of whiskey to take home. The museum has a bar and cafe, so you can stick around for a bite to eat or another drink before you leave. Check out the website for additional experiences. There’s a tour that includes brunch in the cafe!
The best part about the Irish Whiskey Museum is that it’s located right at the entrance of Trinity College, which is one of the most centrally located corners in all of Dublin. It’s really easy to get to!
Book a classic tour | Book a brunch tour | Website
VIP Roe & Co Irish Whiskey Distillery Experience
Address: 92 James St., Dublin
Roe & Co Irish Whiskey Distillery is Dublin’s newest distillery, located in the former Power House of the Guinness Brewery, which is about 20 minutes walking from the city center.
There are two tour options: the Flavours Workshop where you’ll learn about the art of cocktails, and the 106 Blending Experience, which dives into the art of blending with a tasting in ‘Room 106’. Both tours are 40 minutes long with a 45-minute table reservation in the bar following.
The Power House Bar and Cocktail Village is open Wednesday to Sunday. Distillery tours and tastings are available Thursday to Saturday from 3pm to 8pm. Tours include a fully immersive walkthrough of the state of the art still house. Be sure to book in advance.
If you’d rather, get in on guided tour of Roe & Co in addition to a visit to the Christ Church Cathedral, where the tour starts, and stop in The Liberties, one of the oldest districts of Dublin City also known as Dublin’s Whiskey Triangle, and the tour and tasting at Roe & Co.
Get tickets for this tour here | Website
The Dublin Liberties Distillery
Address: The Mill, 33 Mill St, The Liberties, Dublin 8, D08 V221
Also located in Dublin’s Whiskey Triangle is The Dublin Liberties Distilllery. This centuries old distillery has had a storied past as has the Liberties district, and those stories are told through their range of whiskeys. Each bottle is named for a particular location in the district.
For your visit, you can join in on a tour – there are two to choose from – of the working distillery to see the copper pot stills and taste the range of single malt and blended Irish whiskeys. Along the way, you’ll hear the stories of the historic Liberties area that inspired their whiskeys.
If you’d rather skip the tour, you can also just go upstairs to their bar and have a tasting. They also offer crafted cocktails, coffee and light bites.
Pearse Lyons Distillery
Address: 121-122 James’s Street, Dublin
Pearse Lyons Distillery is a really unique one because it’s located in the former Church of St. James, a colourful history dating back to the 12th century. Of course, it’s also located in the Liberties in the Whiskey Triangle, so it’s just a few minutes walk from the others you may be visiting above. It’s also just a 5-minute walk from The Guinness Storehouse.
Being Dublin’s only boutique distillery, you’ll get a more localized experience here. The tour takes you around the distillery and the graveyard to learn about the characters of Dublin’s famous distilling and brewing district.
The Pearse Lyons Distillery produces some of Ireland’s finest small batch Irish whiskies and you’ll get to enjoy them in a whiskey and gin tastings at the tasting bar. There are all kinds of different options for tours and tastings, so be sure to check their website and book in advance.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are plenty of whiskey tours in Dublin to add to your itinerary. Now you just have to decide which one you’re going to do, or whether you can get around to all of them!
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Laura is the founder and editor of the travel blogs Savored Sips and Savored Journeys. She is dedicated to sharing the best information about drinks found around the world.
Hubby would love one of this, but last time we were in Dublin we didn’t have time for a whiskey tour. Also… I don’t drink at all 🙁
Bummer. You’ll just have to go again, I guess! 🙂
Whiskey distilleries! I loved it ! We did a lot in Scotland, now I kinda want to go for the ones in Ireland too.
We just went to a bunch in Scotland too. Of course it’s the same process, but they triple distill in Ireland!
I just had a Canadian friend who did the Jameson whiskey tour in Dublin. She had a great time, I must hop over the pond for it 😀
It’s even better now that they’ve redone it recently!
Each tour looks fun and informative too Laura. And….tasty 😉 Even though I barely drink I would have a sip here and there to test the fare in an authentic setting. How much more authentic could you get, right? Enjoying these whiskeys in a distillery.
Definitely can’t get much more authentic! It’s also nice to see that there’s a resurgence of whiskey distillers in Dublin now.
I’m a whiskey-lover, but I’ve NEVER been to a distillery! How crazy is that?! I’ve gotta do it! It seems like Ireland and the U.K. are great spots for this!
You should definitely check one or two out. It’s fun to learn the process, especially if you’re a whiskey fan.
Thanks for this guide! This is something that I would like to do in Dublin when I get there in few months!
Have fun, Christine!
Spent quite a lot of time in Dublin in the past but never made it to one of these tours. Whiskey is not my thing but sounds great for fans of the drink 🙂 Polly
With so many Irish whiskey tours in Dublin, it’s so hard to know which one to take. You’ve made the choice easy–no need to do any extra research. These sound like fun choices!
When in Dubalin, I should definitely add this to my list of things to do. I’ll also follow your recommendation to do a pubcrawl! That’s surey be fun and exciting 🙂
Definitely, Cai! I love doing a pub crawl in Dublin.
Since I’m not a beer drinker, I’ve always thought I would skip the Guinness tour when I visit Ireland. Now I know, I can check out the whiskey instead.
I can see why you might skip it if you’re not a beer drinker, but it’s still a pretty fascinating place, just to learn a bit.
Hi Laura & Nick,
I would love to take part in Whiskey Tour. When I was living in Canada I took part in a few wine tours to Niagara on the lake and Price Edward County area famous for the best wines there 🙂
I’m not a huge fan of whiskey but I’m very opne minded for new experiences and this is something I would like to try.
Ireland is still on my list of places to visit so now I have and idea what I will be doing there 🙂
Best,
Kasia
You’ll definitely like them, Kasia, if you’ve enjoyed wine tours. Very similar.
Ah! Whiskey tours sound great. For a Whiskey guy like me, that would be such an awesome experience!