The world's best-selling Irish whiskey, Jameson, is a favorite of many. To visit where it all began is an awesome experience. The Jameson Distillery on Bow Street in Dublin, Ireland is the original distillery and was founded in 1780. Now it's a visitor center where people can enjoy whiskey tastings, guided tours, and visit the gift shop and JJ's bar. Jameson's current production facility, Middleton, is in County Cork, which will be featured in a future post.
This place is fun and inviting the moment you enter. You can feel the history in this building and Jameson has done a great job blending the traditional with modern style. As you walk on the new glass floors and look down, you can see some of the original structures below. The place is quite laid-back. Whether you'd like to go straight to JJ's bar and try their exclusive whiskeys, or dive in and experience one of their tours or tastings, the choice is yours!
If you are visiting for the first time, the Bow St experience is one of the best tours to start with. It's fun for both whiskey drinkers and non-whiskey drinkers. The tour includes a "Daily Grog" at the end, just like back in the day when the workers would have one as a reward at the end of a work day. You have the choice of a glass of original Jameson or a Jameson Ginger & Lime drink.
Currently Jameson offers the following experiences: Bow St. Experience, Whiskey Blending Class, Whiskey Cocktail Making Class, Secret Whiskey Tasting, and the Cask Draw Experience.
Bow St. Experience: A very informative and interactive 40-minute tour. It takes you from one room to another where it will cover everything you need to know about Jameson in general. From the heritage and history to how Jameson is made today. We got to taste, smell, look, and feel the different ingredients that are used to make the whiskey. Plus we got to taste and compare the flavor and consistency of the Irish whiskey (triple distilled) to the flavor of a Scotch (Scottish - double distilled), and an American whiskey (single distilled).
Cask Draw Experience: A tasting experience in the maturation warehouse. The guide will go a little more in depth about the maturation process while the group gets to taste whiskey straight from the cask. The guide will use the traditional "blender's dog" to draw the whiskey straight out of the barrel like they would back in the day. During my visit, the guide opened a bourbon cask filled with unblended single pot whiskey that had matured for 17 years.
** Experience The Jameson Distillery at Home **
To get a taste of the Jameson Distilery at home, try the "Daily Grog" Jameson Ginger & Lime cocktail. Click for the recipe here.
Until the next departure!
JJ's Bar
One of the few places in the world where you can enjoy EVERYTHING Jameson! Enjoy a single glass or go for a flight of whiskey.
Jameson Bow St Experience
An interactive tour of Jameson.
Cask Draw Experience
Visit to the maturation warehouse to taste whiskey straight from the cask
Jameson Bow St. Distillery
A fun place to experience and learn more about your favorite Irish Whiskey.
