New international passports available to everyone over eighteen will soon bear the stamps of the Ancient East, The Hidden Heartland, the North, Wild Atlantic Way, and the Golden Triangle of Dublin. It is also available in Cathersiveen, “the town that climbs a mountain and looks down upon the sea” in the peninsula at the foot of the Iron Mountain “with yellow honey flowing like dew on the slopes of its grasses.”
The Irish Whiskey Association has issued its 360 Passport and an open invitation to visit twenty-four distilleries of various sizes around Ireland. The passport includes tours and entrances to visitor experience centers, gift shops, old “can dip” tasting rooms, boutique private cocktail lounges, restaurants, bars, and bottle shops. In addition, visitors can access warehouses full of bourbon, virgin oak, Oregon pine, ex-Oloroso sherry barrels, mash tuns, and Holstein stills. One warehouse called Meabh (she who intoxicates and brings great joy) makes “The Legendary Silkie,” a fifth generation of Scottish Forsyths at their Sliabh Liag distillery in County Donegal, below Iron Mountain at the highest accessible cliffs in Europe, which are twice the height of the Eiffel Tower.
To visit the lot, you must visit County Carlow (Royal Oak) in County Leitrim (The Shed), Waterford in County Cork, County Donegal, County Offaly (the canal side bonded warehouse of Tullamore DEW), and don’t miss Westmeath on the river Brosna. It has the oldest distillery – Kilbeggan, which dates back to 1757. Many distilleries have popped up in old bakeries, refurbished 1950s hardware shops (Blackwater), and former churches (Pearse Lyons in Dublin). You inhale your fill of maltings, test your single grain and small batch rye thresholds and test your tolerance for traditional craic in the form of char-grilled peppers, candied fruits, toffee, dark chocolate, roasted nuts, and Crème Brûlée.
During a visit, get up close and personal with various chill filtration paraphernalia, local historians, and master blenders. By the end of the trip, your dog-eared, weather-beaten passport will probably also bare the stains of Feeney’s Irish Cream Liqueur, PJ Rigney’s Sausage Tree Pure Irish Vodka, and Drumshando Gunpowder Gin. Don’t forget to try some Slane and soda, and count the ring stains of Tuah nosing glasses.
Your Irish passport might grant you an audience with Slane Whiskey’s founder, The Earl of Mount Charles, the man himself, Alex Conyngham, or the privilege of sharing a snort, snifter, and toast with Peter Clancy at Lough Ree. Mount Dillon by Lough Ree celebrates a 71-year history of local commercial peat operations and The Station, produced in homage to the local power station and an integral part of the Irish Grid.
Most journeys will begin and end in Dublin following a counter-clockwise route from Teeling’s, Liberties, and Roe & Co, where an old pear tree and St. Patrick’s Tower remain from the original premise. Head up to Bushmills on the County Antrim coast via Slane and over to The Hinch, Rademon Estate near Downpatrick and Echinville. Afterward, go to Sliabh Liag in Donegal, Connacht, Micil in Galway, and down to the Dingle and Kerry’s SkelligSix18 at Garranearagh (the town climbing up the mountain by the sea). Near the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Skellig Michael, the brand name is inspired by the 618 steps that 6th-century monks carved out of Skellig Mór to reach their monastery at the summit.
While en route, you’ll get to sample the first Irish Whiskey aged in Japanese Sugi wood and County Mayo’s Connacht Distillery and master Distiller Robert Caddell’s Single Malt Batch 1, the first core expression produced at Ballina on the site of the old Duffy’s bakery. Teeling’s will tempt you with their new “Whiskey Wonders of The Wood” Amburana Cask, Cherry Wood Cask, or some of their Birthday Batch. After sampling the new range of Jameson orange Whiskey, Dair Ghaelach Knockrath Forest, and Method and Madness at their distillery at Midleton in Cork, Irish whiskey passport holders will inevitably need a break. There is no better spot than Powerscourt for a short respite. Here you can tally your daily travels by counting your stamps in the passport while toasting a successful voyage with their Fercullen Mill House Single Grain Amarion’s Finish created by Noel Sweeney. You only need six stamps to receive a reward, but who knows what you’ll receive if you do a dozen or all 24 distillers that your Irish whiskey passport offers.
Like Scotland. Ireland has some great whiskey hotels:
Brooks Hotel – Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Located in the heart of Dublin, Brooks is a lavish hotel with fewer than 100 rooms. Guestrooms are decorated with handcrafted wooden furniture, sumptuous fabrics, and modern Irish artwork. Brooks sits within a quick walk to some of Dublin’s most iconic bars and distilleries like the Temple Bar (450 whiskies), the Vat House (four-glass flights), the Old Jameson Distillery (tours and tastings), and the Teeling and Pearse Lyons distilleries. Visitors who wish to stay in the hotel can head to Brooks’ own Jasmine Bar, which offers over 70 Irish selections, including one of only 711 bottles of Celtic Cask Aon Single Cask and one of just 114 single cask bottles of Willie Napier 44-year-old. Beyond Irish Whiskey, the bar also offers a global selection of over 100 whiskies from Sweden to Sri Lanka. Rooms at Brooks Hotel start from €131 per night. For more information, please visit: www.brookshotel.ie
Ballyfin – County Laois, Republic of Ireland
Situated close to the Slieve Bloom Mountains in the center of Ireland, Ballyfin is a place of great natural beauty. The hotel boasts an opulent restaurant, cellar bar, and 15 beautifully appointed guestrooms, all individually designed to mirror the unique style of the original house. The hotel offers a few different experiences to gain insight into the world of whiskey-making. Guests can learn exclusively about the history of Irish Whiskey or opt for a world view of Whiskey, which includes a comparison of different whiskeys from across the globe, including Irish Whiskey, Scotch Whisky, American Bourbon, and Japanese single malt. Connoisseurs of fine Whiskey will not want to miss out on the tastings offered in the Cellar bar. Rooms at Ballyfin start at €640 per night. The Whiskey tasting experience is priced from €95 per person.
The Bushmills Inn – County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Set against the backdrop of the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland, Bushmills has 41 guestrooms, including a mix of Classic, Deluxe, and Superior rooms and Master Distillers Suites, each individually designed with luxurious furnishings that create the atmospheric ambiance of the Inn’s bygone days. The hotel has an extensive array of fine Whiskey. It offers the perfect base for Whiskey lovers to explore the Old Bushmills distillery, which is only a stone’s throw away. The distillery has been in practice for over 400 years and has gained a renowned reputation since its opening in 1608, with Bushmills Irish Whiskey becoming the most sought-after Whiskey. Rooms at The Bushmills Inn begin at £175 per night. The Old Bushmills distillery is £15 per person.
Park Hotel Kenmare – County Kerry, Republic of Ireland
The Park Hotel Kenmare is a magnificent five-star Country House Hotel and Restaurant overlooking Kenmare Bay. The hotel has 46 lavish guestrooms, a five-meter lap pool, private cinema, dining room, cocktail bar, Champagne bar, drawing room, and outdoor Terrace. The cocktail bar boasts one of the largest whiskey collections in Europe. It offers a private whiskey experience led by John Moriarty, who is considered a leading authority in Scotland and Ireland on Whiskey’s history, evolution, and edification. Private tastings with John discuss today’s world market and offer guests diverse whiskies from India to Sweden. Rooms at Park Hotel Kenmare start at €325 per night. The private whiskey tours begin at €30 per person.
