Jameson's Whiskey-making tour, Midleton in County Cork

[Avi]

I just recently took a week's trip to Ireland with a buddy of mine. We made it our business to get over to the Jameson's Distillery tour which is in Midleton, in County Cork on the southern end of Ireland. It's a short drive from Kinsale which is a really terrific town for drinking at the many pubs that it has...I've been told there are 45 pubs there in a town that's what we here in the USA would call "pretty darn small." In any event, the trip to the Jameson's Distillery was really worth getting to. It's next to Jameson's current super-modern distillery which isn't open to visitors. But, that's no distraction since the tour is of what was once the Paddy's Distillery...Paddy's was acquired by Jamesons and is now produced in the Jameson's Distillery under the Paddy's name along with Jameson's other brands. So, you get to see...with a personal explanation...each step of the Irish Whiskey distilling method in the very place where it had long-been distilled.

Here's the malting oven that was used when Paddy's was made right there...

This is one of the grain storage buildings....The black "circles" are the ends of steel beams that ran the width of the bulding to support the heavyiness of the grain...

the water wheel that provided power to the facility and used the water from the river that was used in the whiskey production...

one of the huge copper pot stills.....

After the guided-tour of the old distillery, you're given a tasting...It consists of a sample of Jameson's 5-year old up against the same amount (all of which are really adequate for the comparison) of Johnnie Walker Red and Jack Daniels. Yeah, I know...but...the reason given for that comparison is that the Johnnie and the Jack are the biggest-selling whiskeys from Scotland and from the USA so they should be compared to the biggest selling Irish. From this taster's taste-buds I can say (and Jamesons very likely, smugly knows) the Jameson's was a far, far better drink than the others.

Of course, the comparison is hardly fair. What it does though, is to show that unlike the case of America and Scotland, the best-selling whiskey produced in Ireland happens to be...again, to me and the very few people with us on this cold winter's day in Ireland, anyway...a very good tasting, sipping drink.

After that, you're treated, at no further than the admission cost, to a nice glass of the 5-year old.

All in all, Jamesons offers a wide variety of whiskeys that you can purchase at the shop...along with the other whiskeys that it produces there in Midleton under the original names and recipes like Paddy's and Powers.

Over the course of the trip I bought myself six bottles of Irish...most of which I had tasted and enjoyed in the pubs. One, that I bought blind and hadn't seen anywhere is called Greenore "Single Grain" and I bought it at the airport. Apparently, it comes from a small and relatively young distillery. When I got it home, I tried it and man...very very good, indeed.

Oh, and I'll take the liberty of suggesting that all Irish should be sipped straight.

[Jono]

Very nice looking distillery, sounds like a terrific trip anytime of the year.

Jameson's is a pleasant whiskey...not too challenging but reliable.

[ILLfarmboy]

I'd love to take that tour.

In a couple years a friends of the family will be taking a trip to Ireland. The've asked us to join them. I don't know if we will be able to afford it, but I'd love to see the birthplace of so many of my ancestors, and the birthplace of uisce beatha.

[Avi]

Well, then the tour is just what you'd be looking for. If you do get to Ireland, spend at least two nights in Kinsale...a great town with really nice pubs and great food. Kinsale makes the Jameson's distillery tour easily reached with a drive of about 50-minutes. You can also easily get to the famous Blarney Castle with the Blarney Stone there in just about a half-hour or so.