IRELAND’S ANCIENT EAST WHISKEY TRAIL

We pick up at your Dublin hotel at 10am and our 3 day whiskey adventure begins! Today, you will discover Ireland’s Ancient East. We’re travelling through the lesser beaten tourism track and we’ve two fantastic distillery visits lined up for you today. Our first stop is in the neighbouring county of Wicklow, famed for it’s country estates. We’re stopping at Powerscourt Estate this morning and we’re visiting Powerscourt Distillery –  a smashing start to this 3 day adventure. The distillery is set in a restored mill house on the estate. A highlight of this tour is the visit to the onsite maturation warehouse. We finish in one of the stylish tasting rooms for a tutored tasting of Fercullen whiskeys , including; Fercullen Falls (blend), Single Malt, The Gates (limited-edition release) . Time at leisure on Powerscourt Estate – pop over to the 18th century mansion for lunch and discover the landscaped gardens – voted No. 3 in the Top 10 Gardens of the World – by National Geographic! We continue south, taking the very scenic route through County Wicklow, all the way to County Kilkenny.

We’re just a short drive to Kilkenny. Kilkenny is a medieval city in southeast Ireland, arguably the most prominent medieval city in the country. We’ll leave you to explore it at leisure this evening. We’ve booked you at a 5***** hotel on the edge of town. You can transfer into the city to discover the grand Kilkenny Castle which was built in 1195 by Norman occupiers and overlooks the town. The town has deep religious roots and many well-preserved churches and monasteries, including the imposing St. Canice’s Cathedral and the Black Abbey Dominican priory, both from the 13th century. It’s also a crafts hub, with shops along its winding lanes selling pottery, paintings and jewellery – a shopper’s paradise! There’s no shortage of pubs with live music and great restaurants to choose from for dinner (we’ll ensure you’ve plenty of good recommendations!)

Enjoy a famous full Irish breakfast in your hotel, at your leisure this morning. We hit the road for Waterford, we’re travelling on very remote rural roads today for 90 minutes to the small sleepy village of Ballyduff, home to Blackwater Distillery, on the banks of the River Blackwater. Peter, John and Caroline operate a micro-distillery at Blackwater, making a delicious small-batch gin and they are making a big name for themselves on the Irish whiskey scene, resurrecting and working with historical mashbills, recipes from the era when Irish whiskey was king of the world. You will try some of their initial releases and enjoy legendary hospitality from the Blackwater crew.

We transit across the county of Waterford to County Cork, finishing in the docklands of the city, where Rebel City Distillery is found, another small-batch Irish operation.

Full Irish breakfast at your hotel, at your leisure this morning. Then we head to the nearby town of Midleton. We’ve spent the previous two days visiting small batch distilleries in Ireland, and today we’re at the brand home of some of the biggest Irish whiskey brands of them all – Midleton Distillery Experience. The biggest selling Irish whiskey, Jameson,  was made in Dublin for 200 years,  but since 1975, Jameson has been produced down here in Midleton, East Cork. Most people take the regular tour here, but we’ll make sure we secure you spots on the BEST tour available at this attraction..Behind the Scenes Tour, if you enjoy Jameson / Redbreast / Green Spot – you will love this! You will enjoy a very special extended tour here at Midleton Distillery, gaining a deeper insight into history, production and heritage. On this tour, one of the expert ambassadors will guide you around some of the key buildings; the Cooperage, the Maturation Warehouse and a very special visit to the Distiller’s Cottage. Tastings of premium whiskeys are included throughout the tour, just a stone’s throw away from the stills where they are made to this day.