Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SIGHTS
GALLERY
PHOENIX PARK
See
Click here
.
PARK
OLD JAMESON DISTILLERY
MUSEUM
(
www.jamesonwhiskey.com
; Bow St; adult/child €14/7.70; 9am-6pm Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm Sun; 25, 66, 67 or 90
from city centre, Smithfield)
Smithfield's biggest draw is devoted to
uisce beatha
(
ish-
kuh
ba-ha, 'the water of life'). The whowhatnow? It's whiskey, which doesn't quite bestow life,
but, if drunk enough, will undoubtedly take it away. Here, in the original home of one of its
most famous and renowned distillers, you can get an introduction to the history and culture
of this most potent of drinks.
The museum occupies a section of the old distillery, which kept the capital in whiskey
from 1780 to 1971 (after which the remaining distillers moved to a new ultramodern distil-
lery in Midleton, County Cork). The museum can only be visited on guided tours, which
run every 35 minutes. They start with a short film and then, with the aid of models and ex-
hibitions, explain everything you ever wanted to know about Irish whiskey, from its fascin-
ating history to how it's made and why it differs from Scotch - ex-footballer (and Scot)
Ally McCoist once joked that the Irish thought of everything, including putting an 'e' in
whiskey. At the end of the tour you'll be invited into the
Jameson Bar
for a dram of compli-
mentary whiskey. Stay alert and make sure to volunteer for the tasting tour, where you get
to sample whiskeys from all around the world and train your palate to identify and appreci-
ate the differences between each.
At the end of the tour, you're deposited in the shop, which was kinda the whole point of
the tour in the first place. If you do want to bring a bottle or two home, make sure you buy
one that you can't get in your local. There are some 100 brands of Irish whiskey (not all
sold here) but only three - Jameson, Bushmills and Tullamore Dew - are widely available.
Our tip is Red Breast, pure pot still, the way all Irish whiskey used to be made, although
the swashbuckling Power's is numero uno in Ireland and difficult to get elsewhere.
There's also a good cafe and restaurant.
