Sorry it’s taken me a little while to get this on WhiskeyPoints. Better late than never…
My good friend Charles Grabitzky led a Rascal + Thorn whiskey adventure through Ireland, on behalf of 9 Maple Ave in Saratoga Springs NY. I’ll try to summarize on a daily basis where we went and what we did. And, hopefully I’ve remembered to add links to the reviews of the whiskeys we drank.
Ireland Whiskey Tour Day 1: September 13 – Dublin
We arrived today, and visited The Temple Bar (where I chatted for a while with James Joyce; but, he wasn’t very talkative) and the Dublin Liberties Distillery, where I tasted the following whiskeys:
- The Dubliner Irish Whiskey Master Distiller’s Reserve
- The Dubliner Irish Whiskey 10 Yr Single Malt
- Dublin Liberties Irish Whiskey – Oak Devil 5 Yr
- Dublin Liberties Irish Whiskey – Copper Alley Single Malt 10 Yr
We went over to the The Celtic Whiskey Shop, which has a spectacular collection of both standard and rare whiskeys. While there, I tasted the delicious Celtic Cask 28 Fiche A Hocht Single Cask Single Malt and bought a bottle. We then had dinner at JP Mooney’s, where I dined on perfect calamari, salmon, mussels and shrimp, while listening to live music. And afterwards, we hit a few bars for good beer and whiskey:
- McDaid’s, founded either in 1873 or 1779. There seems to be some controversy (see photos below).
- The Stag’s Head in the Dame District
- The Palace Bar, where I had Redbreast 18 Yr – The Palace Bar Single Cask
Ireland Whiskey Tour Day 2: September 14 – Dublin
In the morning, we walked through Poor People’s Park and went kayaking on the River Liffey, where our kayak guides taught us about Irish culture and history, and serenaded us with folk songs.
In the afternoon, we went to The Irish Whiskey Museum, where we learned about the history of Irish Whiskey, and I tasted Powers 1817.
In the evening, we went to O’Flaherty’s at The Old Storehouse, where we had dinner and listened to Irish folk music. We gave up trying to hit any bars tonight, because the All-Ireland Football Championship was today; and there were swarms of inebriated fans filling the interiors of and spilling out onto the streets from every bar in town.
Ireland Whiskey Tour Day 3: September 15 – Dublin
We began our day with a walking tour that started at the Post Office (HQ of the Easter Rebellion). We then strolled by the statue of Daniel O’Connell (who in the 1800’s led nonviolent protests to remove penal laws against Catholics), did a quick stop at Trinity College, and then swung by Dublin Castle.
After lunch at The Brazen Head (Ireland’s oldest pub, dating back to 1198), we enjoyed the Connoisseur Tour at the Guinness Storehouse, followed by a tour of Teeling Distillery.
In the evening, we went back to Palace Bar, where I enjoyed Red Spot 15 Yr. Not only did we have great whisky, but at Palace Bar, we ended up in the tiny upstairs bar with the Irish national football championship team from Dublin Singing “We Are The Champions.”
Ireland Whiskey Tour Day 4: September 16 – A busy day in Wicklow, Carlow and Kilkenny
We started our day with a superb tour of Powerscourt Distillery in Wicklow with our informative and friendly guide, Lorna. At the end of the tour, we met Whisky Hall of Fame member, and Powerscourt Master Distiller, Noel Sweeney, who is a super-nice guy. We also chatted with another super-nice guy, Gerry Ginty, Powerscourt COO and cousin of my friend Fiona Ginty. Thank you Fiona for connecting us!!
Powerscourt is making Single Malt and Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey. They started distilling in June 2018; and it’ll be a few years until they have any of their own premium whiskey matured and bottled. I’ll be back! In the meantime, they’ve got great Fercullen Whiskey which was made by Noel for them at Cooley. We tried three Fercullen whiskeys:
- Fercullen Premium Blend Irish Whiskey
- Fercullen Single Grain 10 Yr
- Fercullen 14 Yr Single Malt Irish Whiskey
Next stop was the majestic Powerscourt Waterfall. Then, we visited the monastic remains of St Kevin and the round tower in Glendalough (pronounced Glenda-Lock). The towers were safe houses built by monks around the 8th century to protect their gold and jewelry from Viking raiders.
Next was Royal Oak Distillery, the only distillery making all three types of whiskey in Ireland (Single Malt, Single Pot Still, Single Grain). While there, we tasted the following:
We ended the day in Kilkenny, a medieval city.
Ireland Whiskey Tour Day 5: September 17 – Kilkenny, Waterford, Dungarvan, Cobh and Cork
I took a morning stroll from our hotel down the street to Kilkenny Castle. Then, we drove to Waterford, a Viking city, and also the oldest city in Ireland, settled in 914, where we saw the longest wooden sword in the world, carved in 2017. It tells the Viking history of Waterford.
In Waterford, we visited the Waterford Distillery, which began distilling in early 2016. This is a unique distillery, making double-distilled single malt, utilizing 100% local Irish barley with complete traceability for each bottle to the barley farm and maturation barrel(s). They call it terroir-driven single malt whisky. The distillery was founded by Mark Reynier, who led Bruichladdich from its reopening in 2000 until 2012. We had a phenomenal tour with our expert guide, Megan; and we met with, and discussed operations with Ian, the distiller on shift. I’ve got lots of detailed notes about this distillery and their processes; but I won’t bore you with them here. I was VERY IMPRESSED.
Afterwards, we drove along the Copper Coast and stopped for a rest overlooking the Celtic Sea, followed by lunch at The Moorings in Dungarvan
We had a late afternoon visit to the Titanic Experience in Cobh. My passenger ticket was for Daniel Buckley. I survived the Titanic and died six years later fighting in France during WWI.
We ended our day in Cork with pizza at Franciscan Well Brewpub, followed by whiskey at The Shelbourne Bar, where I tasted Bushmills 1608 400th Anniversary Edition and Dingle Batch #4 Cask Strength.
Ireland Whiskey Tour Day 6: September 18 – Busy day in and around Cork
I started the day with a walk through the Cork English Market, where we saw beautiful fresh Turbot at K O’Connell Fishmongers, and fruits and meats at multiple shops.
Then, we headed to Blarney Castle where we kissed the Blarney Stone, explored the Poison Garden, and strolled through the Fern Garden with the soothing scent of cedar wafting through the air.
On the road to Midlteton we stopped at the Memorial to The Choctaw Nation, who had been forcibly displaced from their homes in Oklahoma in 1831; and donated $170 (a huge sum at that time) to help the Irish peasants survive The Great Hunger (Irish famine) in 1847.
We at lunch at Farmgate in Midleton: some of the best mussels I ever had. They were small, sweet and tender.
After lunch, we took the Behind the Scenes Tour at Jameson Midleton Distillery with our guide Gavin, where I enjoyed a delicious dram of Midleton Very Rare Barry Crockett Legacy. We then had a fantastic dinner at Market Lane in Cork, followed by a return to my favorite Cork watering hole, The Shelbourne Bar for drams of Celtic Cask 21 Fiche A Haon Single Cask Single Malt and Bushmills Single Malt 16 Yr
Ireland Whiskey Tour Day 7: September 19 – Another fun-filled day
We began with a visit to the Michael Collins Centre Museum at Crowley farm in Clonakilty. It’s run by a cousin of Michael Collins, former finance minister and head of intelligence for the IRA during the Easter rising and Irish War of Independence. It was fascinating; and we learned a lot.
Then, we went to Clonakilty Distillery, a new distillery owned by the Scully family, a local family who produced their first spirit in May of 2019. Our knowledgeable tour guide, Chloe, took us through the distillery and explained some of the history. I liked the Scully family toast: “There are good ships and wood ships, and ships that sail the sea; but, the best ships are friendships; and may they always be.”
We then headed to Killarney National Park, where we took a tour in Jaunting Cars from Torc Waterfall through the forest to Muckross House, stopping along the way to visit the 14th century abbey which was built surrounding a tree (estimated to be about 800-1000 years old now). Our driver was Con; and his horse was 6-year-old Jessie, a sweetheart who took great care to slow down for bicycles and pedestrians.
Then, we were on to Dingle in the southwestern tip of Ireland. We had an amazing dinner at Ashe’s Bar, paired with Dingle Founding Fathers Ashe’s Bar Sherry Cask # 411, followed by Dingle Single Pot Still 2nd Release at Dick Mack’s (a jam-packed pub with a superb whiskey selection).
Ireland Whiskey Tour Day 8: September 20 – Dingle
I strolled around Dingle in the morning. Dingle is one of my favorite places on Earth. It’s a quaint fishing village, a gourmet dining spot, home to a pioneering Irish distillery and great bars (and, unfortunately, way too many big tour buses).
One of my highlights of the year 2019 was lunch at the home of Maria Recio and Gorka Arrieta, top chef in County Kerry, and Head Chef at Sol y Sombra Tapas Bar and Sua Basque Fusion in Killorglin. We joined him on Inch Beach and drove up to his home in the hills (the dirt road was quite narrow). What a spectacular view. He is a warm-hearted chef (and avid surfer) who’s lived on the Dingle peninsula for 21 years; and within the first two minutes, he and Maria made us all feel like family. Maria, took us and their dog, Heidi, on a hike along the ridge, where we picked fresh, sweet berries. Thank you Gorka, Maria (and John Sconzo for setting this up). Wow!!
I became teary-eyed by the kindness, beauty and deliciousness we experienced. Hey, John Sconzo, we’re in the Scon-zone!!
After lunch, we went to Dingle Crystal for a tour with Sean Daly, the main man there.
Then, we went to Dingle Distillery for a tour hosted by Cait (pronounced “cotch” in English). We tasted the award-winning Dingle Gin and Dingle Vodka, and a distillery-exclusive port-cask matured single malt whiskey, as well as the delicious Dingle Batch #4, a single malt matured in a marriage of bourbon, sherry and port barrels.
Our fine dining adventure continued at Out Of The Blue (OOTB). This was my third visit to Dingle and my third dinner at OOTB. It’s a can’t-miss place.
Ireland Whiskey Tour Day 9: September 20
Sadly, this amazing trip must end.
We left the idyllic town of Dingle in the morning, had a brief stop in Adare to look at the thatched huts, then headed up to Kilbeggan and the Kilbeggan Distillery, where I tasted Tyrconnell 10 Yr Single Malt Port Cask Finish.
Thank you Charles for another magical Rascal + Thorn Whisk(e)y Tour!
It was great making new friends and seeing old ones. What a wonderful time we’ve had. Slainte!!
