Irish Whiskey Museum, 119 Grafton Street, Dublin 2

The Irish Whiskey Museum and Tasting Experience

You may be surprised when I tell you that up until November 2014, Ireland did not have a museum that celebrated Irish whiskey irrespective of its brand. Irish whiskey has been, and will be again, one of the world’s preferred tipple. From the everyday working man and woman to presidents and world leaders, from rock stars to sports personalities, from your uncle Joe to your granny Janet, this ‘Uisce Beatha’ truly is the water of life.

Phil told you there was ‘Whiskey in the Jar’ while Jim wanted you to show him ‘the way to the next Whiskey Bar’ … 

 

Situated on the renowned Grafton Street with views of Trinity College Dublin, the Irish Whiskey Museum could not have chosen a better location for visitors. A visit here can be the highlight of your Dublin visit, part of a family day out, something different for after work get togethers or a break from shopping, it’s entirely up to you. What’s entirely up to The Irish Whiskey Museum is to provide an educational, interesting and fun experience and that is exactly how I would rate it having visited last week.

As a privately run museum that is independent from all whiskey brands, The Irish Whiskey Museum tells the unbiased history of Irish whiskey through the ages from when it was first introduced to this land by Irish Monks, to when it became world-renowned. From its exporting success to its decline in sales. From its distillery closures to its return to glory and the opening of new distilleries today.

Spread across five uniquely designed rooms, you learn about Irish whiskey’s history, Irish traditions, how it’s made and what sets it apart from whiskey producers elsewhere in the world. Finally (once over 18 years) you taste all you’ve learnt in the specially designed Whiskey Tasting Room.

Tickets for the Museum are competitive with attractions around the city and range from a Child Ticket at €7.50 to a Family Ticket at €38. There are also Student, OAP and Group Tickets available. The tickets are broken into two, the Standard Ticket and the VIP Ticket.

The Standard Ticket includes a fully guided tour through the five unique museum rooms inclusive of a reconstructed Victorian Bar, a full whiskey tasting experience of three of Ireland’s top whiskeys and complimentary use of the Cafe Bar that looks out onto Trinity College Dublin.

The VIP Ticket has extra’s of a fourth premium aged whiskey to taste in the Tasting Room and a specially engraved Irish Whiskey Museum tasting glass. At only €3 extra, I recommend the VIP Ticket. Opening hours are 10.30am with the last tour at 8pm, seven days a week.

Our Visit

From the greeting we received at reception from Kevin, and the knowledge and passion shared from our tour guide Eoin, to the expertise shown through our Irish Coffee’s in the Cafe Bar (I recommend the Iced Irish Coffee), our experience of The Irish Whiskey Museum is genuinely positive, we enjoyed every minute of it. Although both Patrick and I are whiskey lovers we left having learnt more about this special spirit.

 

The whiskey tasting at the end was fun and we both enjoyed exploring the difference in whiskey tastes. When we were there we tasted Powers, Teeling Whiskey, The Irishman and as we were VIP Ticket holders tasted a 12-year-old Knappogue Castle whiskey. I would highly recommend a visit here to Irish whiskey lovers and novices alike. Without giving too much away, here are more photos from our visit …

Important to note:

• There is a shop at reception where you can purchase whiskey to take home as well as souvenirs.
• The Irish whiskey used for the tasting experiences change throughout the year, especially the premium aged whiskey.
• The museum will be hosting tutored whiskey tastings on ‘How To Drink Whiskey’, After-Dark tours, new whiskey tray options and one-off whiskey tasting nights with industry experts so keep an eye on the Irish Whiskey Museum Website | Facebook | Twitter

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