The Liberties neighbourhood in Dublin was once the whiskey and beer capital of the world. This private half-day trail through three working distilleries gives you a proper sense of why. It’s just you and your travel companions, with a Whiskey Specialist Host alongside you the whole way.
The visits are structured deliberately so you’re not sitting through the same “how it’s made” presentation three times over. You hear the process once, properly, at the first stop - and at each subsequent distillery you’re straight into the tasting and the stories. Between stops you travel in executive transport, with your Host filling in Dublin’s history and streets as you go.
You’ll taste a range of genuinely interesting Irish whiskeys across three distinct experiences: a cocktail-making workshop at Roe & Co, a private tasting at Pearse Lyons, and a private tasting at Teeling. Includes skip-the-line access. Up to 15 people per booking.
The Liberties is one of Dublin’s oldest working-class neighbourhoods and it wore its brewing and distilling history long before the craft revival made it fashionable again. As you travel between stops, look out for the old red-brick warehouses along Thomas Street - many of them are original distillery and brewery buildings that date back to the 18th and 19th centuries.
Teeling is worth knowing a bit about before you arrive. It was the first new distillery to open in Dublin in over 125 years when it started production in 2015, founded by brothers Jack and Stephen Teeling whose family has been involved in Irish whiskey for generations. The Single Pot Still in particular tends to prompt conversation - it’s a distinctively Irish style that died out almost entirely during the 20th century and is only now making a comeback.
Pearse Lyons Distillery is set inside a converted 19th-century church on James Street, which makes it one of the more striking distillery settings you’ll visit anywhere. The Rhubarb Irish Gin in your tasting is a departure from the whiskey - worth paying attention to if gin is more your thing.
If you’re eating before the tour, keep it light. Three distillery tastings on an empty stomach is a fast route to an early afternoon, so have something substantial, but don’t arrive stuffed - you’ll appreciate the flavours more with a bit of space.
The Liberties has a few good spots to extend your afternoon if the tour has you in the mood to explore on foot afterwards. The Fumbally on Fumbally Lane is a relaxed café with good food, and it’s an easy walk from most of the distilleries.