TEN DAY TOUR
The advertised itinerary can be tailored so that it’s in line with your preferences – we’re all about the bespoke at Whiskey Island! This programme can be booked at any time of year, subject to availability.
WHISKEY & THE WILD ATLANTIC WAY
10 DAY TOUR
Each year, we look after many groups who have spent time on the Bourbon Whiskey Trail and on Scotch Whisky Tours and now they have decided to book Ireland for their next whiskey adventure. When we receive requests for 8-10 day tours, we always suggest a base of the Wild Atlantic Way – the west coast of Ireland. This route has everything; spectacular scenery , wonderful people, great hotels, delicious food and lots of distilleries! Below, you’ll see an itinerary for one of our tried and tested extended whiskey tours.
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RATES
Pricing is available on request. Tour will operate with minimum 2 guests and max 15. Please email us with your request including your potential dates and how many guests in your group, we will revert with a proposal.
LOCATIONS
You will spend most of your time on this trip on the west coast of Ireland, including counties; Donegal, Sligo, Mayo, Galway, Clare, Kerry & Cork. We have included 10 whiskey experiences along the way!
FULL PROGRAMME
DAY 1
Welcome to Dublin! The Whiskey Island team will meet you off your flight and we’ll take you into Dublin city for check in at your hotel (from 3pm). Dublin International Airport is close to the city, so no long transfer to worry about after your long flight! This afternoon, we’ll take you out on a city tour of Dublin with a special emphasis on whiskey ! In the new whiskey neighborhood of Dublin, we’ll take you to two distilleries; Pearse Lyons & Teeling Whiskey . These visits form an ideal introduction to Irish whiskey, as we will showcase all 4 styles that make up the category.
This neighborhood is also the ideal venue to illustrate the fortunes, and misfortunes, of Irish whiskey through the years – a great place to start our whiskey adventure! Location is everything in Dublin . We will secure a hotel for you in the thick of the action, a 5/10 minute walk from the hotel will bring you to all the must-sees. Note: If you wish, we can book a second day in Dublin, so that you have an extra opportunity to get onto Irish time before we leave for the countryside. Our preferred hotels in Dublin are; Davenport 4****, Grafton 4****, Brooks 4****, Fitzwilliam 5*****.
DAY 2
We depart Dublin after breakfast for the northwest of Ireland. We’re taking secondary routes, passing towns and villages like Navan, Kells, Cavan, before arriving at Lough Erne Resort where you will have an opportunity to stretch the legs and have some lunch. The resort features two championship golf courses, one of which is designed by six-time major winner, Sir Nick Faldo – we can always make time for a round of golf if you like! Just down the road you’ll find the Boatyard Distillery, situated on the banks of Lough Erne, County Fermanagh. This is Fermanagh’s first legal distillery since 1890, a farm-to-bottle operation.
They specialise in clear spirits at the Boatyard, adding only organic ingredients to each product with the terroir of the land at the forefront of each new spirit. You will leave with a full-size personalised bottle of gin that you must sign and label by hand at the end of the tour. Our journey continues further northwest, into County Donegal. Our preferred Donegal hotel is proudly owned by a Swiss / Irish family since 1989, the 4-star Harvey’s Point is repeatedly awarded Ireland’s Best Hotel by TripAdvisor. It is situated just outside Donegal Town, on the shores of Lough Eske and at the foot of the Blue Stack Mountains.
DAY 3
We travel down to the coastline of beautiful Donegal, to one of Ireland’s best kept secrets – the cliffs at Sliabh Liag. At 601 metres (1,972 ft), it has some of the highest sea cliffs on the island of Ireland. Although less famous than the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare, Sliabh Liag’s cliffs reach almost three times higher. We’ll have a visit to the cliffs led by a local guide and lunch is available at the visitor centre.
In the afternoon, we’ll take a quick drive to one of the region’s newest additions – the Sliabh Liag Distillery at Ardara . We look at an alternative side of Irish whiskey making, one that honours the methods of a bygone era, inspired by the almost lost tradition for a smoky style of spirit, brought up to date with the very best distillation know-how. You will learn about the history and rich illicit distilling heritage of Donegal – you might even want a barrel of your own! Second night at Harvey’s Point.
DAY 4
We depart County Donegal , travelling for a while through County Sligo with its dramatic landscapes that helped to inspire the work of William Butler Yeats, the Nobel Prize-winning poet. We hit the coast and maybe spot surfers take to the water at Mullaghmore, riding some of the biggest waves in western Europe. We’ll also take in Benbulben – one of Ireland’s most distinctive mountains. We slip into County Mayo, home to Ballina Whiskey.
Constructed on the site of the old Duffy’s bakery, Ballina Distillery was originally opened in 2015 and was the first to be built in Mayo in 150 years. Formerly the Connacht Distillery, the distillery has been acquired by family-owned French wine and spirits group, Terroir Distillers. We continue to Westport, one of the most fun places in Ireland. Tonight you will stay in a hotel in the centre of town. Westport has a vast array of pubs and restaurants, it’s very hard to have a quiet night out in Westport!
DAY 5
More beautiful scenery today for you in Connemara, a region made famous by the John Ford’s 1952 classic, ‘The Quiet Man’, starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara. You are really in for a treat with the scenery on offer as we drive through Connemara National Park all day, we incorporate a visit to must-see in the area; Kylemore Abbey & Victorian Walled Garden. We’ll pass many pretty towns and villages all the way to Salthill on the outskirts of Galway. We stop at a pub on our approach into Galway which has its own secret distillery onsite – Micil.
It’s Galway’s first distillery in over 100 years. Padraic and his brother Jimin are 6th generation makers of Irish poitín (moonshine), you’ll enjoy some of this during a visit to this very special micro-distillery, along with their whiskey of course. Tonight you will stay in arty & bohemian Galway – one of Ireland’s most engaging cities. It is full of life, great restaurants and brightly painted pubs heaving with live music. We’ll book you into a hotel in the downtown area, with all of the magic of the city on your doorstep.
DAY 6
There is the option of returning to Dublin at this point (2.5 hours drive) rendering this a 6 day itinerary. Otherwise, you are spoiled today with another very different landscape – The Burren. We’re spending the day in County Clare, you will see a unique lunar landscape of bedrock incorporating a vast cracked pavement of glacial-era limestone, with cliffs and caves, fossils, rock formations and archaeological sites. We’ll visit the famous Cliffs of Moher today, in the Burren. In the very south of Clare, you’ll find Chapel Gate Whiskey Co. who are resurrecting the lost art of whiskey bonding.
This operation is located in really beautiful rural farmland. This is an up close and personal whiskey experience , focusing on a new aspect of whiskey that we have not explored yet on tour. We’ll visit the warehouse and the blending room , and you’ll have a chance to taste directly from the cask. We depart Chapel Gate and we cross the River Shannon by ferry bringing us into County Kerry. We finish our journey today in Killarney, a principal town of Kerry. We’ll check-in at one of the good central hotels in town. Our preferred Killarney hotels are; Killarney Great Southern , or The International, both 4****
DAY 7
The Gap of Dunloe is an all-encompassing, scenic tour that typically involves a combination of transportation; a horse-drawn carriage ride (jaunting car) through a gap in the mountains , and a boat trip across the Killarney Lakes to return. Post card from Ireland scenery – in a day from Killarney. Later in the afternoon, we’ll pay a visit to Lakeview Estate. Maurice O’Connell comes from a long line of famous O’Connells. He is celebrating his family’s history and impact
with his whiskey company Wayward Irish Spirits. Maurice has been very busy over the past few years establishing his whiskey company step by step on his beautiful estate on the banks of Lough Leane in Killarney where he has been growing his own barley and maturing the whiskey it produces. We spend a few hours with Maurice sampling his products and exploring the journey he has been on in the whiskey world. Second overnight in Killarney.
DAY 8
We’ll provide you with your last dose of stunning Irish scenery today as we make the journey east from County Kerry into County Cork, passing Molls Gap and Kenmare. We’ll stop at Glengarriff to take a boat ride out to Garnish Island. Garnish is world renowned for its gardens which are laid out in beautiful walks and it has some stunning specimen plants which are rare in this climate. Continuing east, we land in Clonakilty in the afternoon. Clonakilty Distillery is a maritime distillery, perched on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean in the south of Ireland. We’ll visit the distillery’s barely fields first, this breathtakingly beautiful location provides the backdrop for a perfect whiskey. We’ll then head into Clonakilty town for a visit to the distillery with extended tasting. Opened in 2019 and owned by the Scully family who have farmed the local lands for generations. Check in at a preferred Cork hotel. Our personal favourites are; Fota Island, Castlemartyr, or Hayfield Manor, all 5*****
DAY 9
Today’s agenda is dictated by where your flights home depart from tomorrow. If your return flight is from Dublin Airport, we will make our way back to Dublin today and we can build a programme around that transfer. Cork to Dublin is 3 hours. Cork to Limerick (for Shannon Airport) is 2 hours. Or if you depart from Cork, you have a full day to enjoy the second city of the Republic!
It could be said that the most suitable final visit of a 10-day whiskey tour of Ireland would be Midleton Distillery Experience , Cork. This is the home of Jameson, Redbreast, Spot family, Midleton Very Rare and much more. We can book you on the very special Behind the Scenes tour here.
DAY 10
Departures ex Cork / Shannon / Dublin Airports
The BEST tour of distilleries in Ireland
I own whiskey bars in the States, and we took a dozen people on a multi-day tour of distilleries around Ireland. John, who owns the company, led us to more than a dozen places — which took a lot of planning, as you can imagine. He was thorough, professional, knowledgeable, and had everything set up and running on time. AND he included not just the big companies, but introduced us to some small craft distilleries. I’ve done hundreds of whiskey tours, and John would be my #1 choice as a whiskey guide. Simply a great experience, and well worth the price.
Chip M
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