Jameson Distillery, Dublin

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Jameson was founded in 1780 by John Jameson, and whisky was produced on this Dublin site until 1971. The buildings and machinery are now restored, and you can join a guided tour around the old distillery.

The tour starts with a video entitled ‘The Story of Jameson Irish Whiskey’, and then continues through the stages of whiskey making: Malting, milling, mashing, fermenting, distilling, and maturing… All the way from grain to glass... The tour ends at the Jameson Bar where you can have the glass of Jameson that is included in the entrance ticket...

I would only recommend this place, if you are deeply interested in whiskey, have a sympathy for this brand or have a good reason any other than see what’s going on there. Although similarly priced, it is not nearly as good as the Guinness storehouse. It is not bad, but I would have expected more for the price.
First, the building was once the place where Jameson Whiskey was made, but is now a museum only. Production ceased here in 1971. The tour through the building is only guided. When you buy your ticket, you are assigned to a tour with a letter ranging from “A” to “D”, check out the screen when the tour with the letter is going to start from the lobby. While you wait, there is the possibility to stroll trough a small exhibition, trough the shop or enjoy a drink. It begins with a video presentation and the picking of volunteers. Raise your hand, if you like whiskey  The tour lasts around an hour and here you will be informed about how whiskey is made, the difference between Scotch and Irish whiskey and some of the history of the Jameson distillery. I missed some more background about company culture.
At the end, you will have the chance to taste some chance to taste some Jameson whiskey and the volunteers will participate in some very special whiskey tasting. That’s the reason you you raise your hand up early.
Our guide was good, but there wasn’t this special atmosphere between guide and audience I have experienced in Ireland and the UK many times before. As I said, it is not bad. I enjoyed it, but I think that it is far overpriced.

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This is no longer the place where they make the Jamesons but if you have a love for whiskey it may be worth a visit for you. The tour takes you through the whole process and ends in a sample of Jamesons.

Irish whiskey is triple distilled as opposed to Scottish whiskey. I was considering taking the tour but at Eur13.50 I decided not to especially as the guide picks out people to sample and spot the difference between Scottish and Irish whiskey and what if that was not me.

Also for those people in the UK do not be fooled that purchasing your Jamesons in Ireland is cheaper then back home because its not. I walked here from O'Connell street and it is a bit off the beaten path

I did however sample a lot of different Irish whiskeys Jamesons, Paddys, Powers and Bushmills (N.Ireland) and still think Jamesons is smoother

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Irish Whiskey is the bloodstream of the Irish. Of course the most traditional of which is Bushmills. However Bushmill's up and coming, modern edge and adapting to the future tastes of the world is Jameson Irish Whiskey which was introduced in 1780. Jameson Irish Whiskey is a single distillery whiskey produced by a division of the famous Absinthe distillers "Pernod Ricard". They focus on the "single distillery" principle as opposed to the "single malt" tradition, yet combines malted barley with unmalted or 'green' barley giving credence to their infamous 'pure pot still' distillation tradition. They take locally grown barley, sourced within a 50 mile radius of the Cork distillery, dry it in a closed kiln fired by clean-burning anthracite coal to preserve the flavor, and triple distilled for optimum smoothness for balance in hat no one flavor will over power the other thus creating a sweet tasting whiskey. The Company was started by John Jameson as the "Bow Street Distillery" in Dublin in 1780. James was a Scottsman who had married into a Scotch whiskey family - the Steins. James began one of the six main Dublin Whiskeys to be produced, even though Jameson today is distilled in Cork and some vatting takes place in Dublin, with distillery tours held in both cities. Jameson boasts of annual sales of over 31 million bottles and holds the record for being the third largest single distillery whiskey in the world and the best selling Irish Whiskey in the world. The Jameson Distillery tour was 5 times better than the Bushmills Distillery Tour, and much more worth your money. It also includes a whiskey tasting at the end and unlike Bushmills, Jameson with its modern edge explorations, highly encourage you to mix your whiskey with other elements to explore the diversity of taste, sensation, and change of consciousness .... Rating: 5 stars out of 5.

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I decided to do whiskey tasting on my second trip to Dublin and chose Jameson as South Africa is their biggest importer. The old distillery is set in the heart of Ireland’s thriving capital city, Dublin, and it really captures the imagination and the spirit of Ireland! When our tour started we were shown a short video of how it all started and then we had a lovely lady that took us on our tour and leading us through the fascinating story of JAMESON. You will be taken on the path through malting, milling, mashing, fermenting, distilling and maturing before the tour ends with a visit to the JAMESON Bar where you can enjoy the ultimate whiskey tasting experience. After your tour, you can browse in the gift shop or lunch in the restaurant before running off to the next tourist attraction. They ask for tasting volunteers before the video clip and please do volunteer, it is a lot of fun and you get a certificate at the end of it all to hang on your wall as a lovely momento of your tour.

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In the true spirit of being tourists, we headed off to the Old Jameson Distillery one afternoon. We had missed a tour by one group of people in line ahead of us, so while we waited, we enjoyed a drink from the beautiful bar in the main area of the Old Distillery.

The bus driver we had before we went in, had advised that at the start of the tour when they ask for volunteers, that you should put your hand up. Especially if you enjoy Whiskey, and getting drunk... so my boyfriend took his advice. The tour was informative, and interesting. Though I prefer the way the Guiness Storehouse is set up more, where you guide your own tour and read as you go. (We had an excellent tour guide though, so she made listening to someone talk more bearable!)

Afterwards in the bar, the free drink was great, and my boyfriends volunteer experience was memorable! I won't give away the secret... just make sure you volunteer!

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Sure, taking a tour of a small (former) distillery may be cliche & "touristy", but the Old Jameson Distillery was an enjoyable time. The presentation and tour were much better than the Guinness tour, and definitely less crowded (tranquil in comparison).

The distillery is on the grounds of the original Jameson Whiskey distillery that is no longer the main production site. The distillery is well-maintained, giving homage to its roots. In the entrance lobby, visitors can see the original foundations for the casks beneath a glass floor of the bar. The timed tours first start with a short intro by the guide, and then a well-produced (if over-dramatic) 10 minute history film. The guide then walks the group through the various stages of production, explaining the process along the way. The talks and the displays are fairly interesting, although the first room is a little too Small World for me ;-) At the end of the tour, guests are invited to have a drink of Jameson in one of several styles including straight-up, with Coke, or with cranberry juice. As guess sit in the dark wood drinking hall, eight chosen volunteers are brought up to do a taste test of Jameson, Scotch, and American whiskeys. There is a small gift shop with different Jameson offerings, as well as Jameson adorned products.

Overall, I think Jameson is worth the time and effort, and offers a calmer alternative to Guinness. It has a classier feel and look to it.

Cost: €13.50

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I really didn't know much about whisky before walking into the Old Jameson Distillery - I came out knowing how whisky is made and that what makes Irish whisky so much smoother than Scotch whisky and Jack Daniels is its unique triple distillation :o) Whisky was produced at the Bow Street Distillery from the company's creation by John Jameson in 1780 until the distillery moved to Cork in 1971. The building in Dublin was then restored and opened to visitors. Our tour began with a short video, and we then followed our tour guide around the building as he explained the main steps involved in the creation of the perfect bottle of Irish whisky. It could have been a rather dry tour (no pun intended!), but our guide was so funny that it turned out to be quite entertaining!

At the end of our visit, we all took a seat in the tasting room, and a few volunteers were asked to sample and compare three brands of whisky. Of course, they were a bit hard-pressed not to choose Jameson as their favourite whisky, but they all genuinely seemed to like it better than the other two. Not to be completely left out, we were all offered to choose between a glass of whisky on the rocks or mixed with ginger ale or cranberry juice. And that's when I learned another very important lesson: Irish whisky and Canada Dry go incredibly well together!

Because visits are by guided tours only, there might be a bit of a wait if you haven't booked in advance, but you can wait while having a drink at the really cool bar. There's also a restaurant - I didn't eat there but the menu looked good and reasonably priced. Tickets: 13.50 Euros.

This is an absolute must stop in Dublin. I enjoyed this stop much more then the Guinness Brewery and the crowds are much smaller. You learn the history of John Jameson and the way Jameson Whiskey is made. The distillery was originally built in 1780, but is now just a museum. You have to take a guided tour to see the museum. They also have a bar area inside, which make the best Irish Coffees I've had this side of Buena Vista in SF.

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A visit to the OLD JAMESON DISTILLERY is an unforgettable experience that will transport you back in time to the days when one of Ireland’s greatest entrepreneurs, John Jameson, first made the whiskey that is our legacy today.

Re-live the story of John Jameson & Son through the history , the atmosphere and above all the taste. You will discover the time honoured secret of how three simple ingredients - water , barley and yeast - are transformed into the smooth golden spirit that has always been and continues to be Jameson Irish Whiskey. After the Tour , all visitors are rewarded with a Jameson signature drink and lucky volunteers are selected to participate in a tutored whiskey comparison and earn a much coveted personalised Whiskey Taster Certificate.