Private Dublin Whiskey Tour: Jameson Bow St, Teeling, and the Distilleries of the Liberties

Most whiskey days in Dublin begin on Bow Street, where John Jameson's distillery operated from 1780 until production moved to Midleton in County Cork in the 1970s. The original stone buildings now house the Jameson visitor experience, entered through the arched gateway off a cobbled lane, and the guided tours cover the history of the company, the triple distillation that defines the house style, and a comparative tasting at the end. Several formats run through the day, from a straightforward tour to longer blending and cask-drawing sessions, and all of them are booked by timed slot.

Because the tours start on the hour, the vehicle is arranged to set down directly at the gate a few minutes beforehand rather than leaving a group to find the lane from the quays. Smithfield Square, a short walk away, is a pleasant place for a coffee beforehand, and the Old Jameson chimney nearby once offered a viewing platform over the city. Guests who are not drinking whiskey are given alternatives in the tasting, and younger travellers can join most tours.

Across the river and a few minutes south, the Liberties was the traditional heart of Dublin distilling, and it is where the revival has been most visible. Teeling opened in Newmarket in 2015 as the first new distillery in the city for well over a century, and its tour shows working copper pot stills rather than a museum. Within a short radius are the Dublin Liberties Distillery on Mill Street, Roe & Co in the former Guinness power station on Thomas Street, and Pearse Lyons in the restored St James' Church, each with its own character and format. Two distilleries in a day is comfortable; three is possible for keen groups, though the tastings begin to blur.

The Guinness Storehouse at St James's Gate is in the same neighbourhood and pairs naturally with a whiskey visit for mixed groups, since not everyone travels for the same drink. Lunch is best taken between visits rather than after them, and the area has good options from traditional pubs to modern kitchens. Between stops, the vehicle waits nearby, so shopping bags and purchased bottles stay safely on board rather than being carried from site to site.

Guests travelling from Athlone or the west have a worthwhile option on the way into Dublin. Kilbeggan, just off the M6 in County Westmeath, holds the oldest licensed distillery in Ireland, dating from 1757, with a working water wheel and a small, unhurried tour that makes an instructive contrast with the larger city sites. It adds around an hour and a half to the day and suits an early start; the Tullamore D.E.W. visitor centre is a similar alternative a little further south.

A whiskey day usually runs from late morning to early evening and fits groups of up to eight in one executive vehicle, with drop-off at a restaurant or hotel at the end and no one needing to think about the drive home. Distillery tickets are booked in advance to suit the route, and the details of how the service works are set out on the chauffeur service page. To combine Dublin's distilleries with Midleton, Kilbeggan, or a longer Irish itinerary, outline the plan through the custom tour request page, or send dates and group size through the booking form.