Robert PerskyDUBLIN, IRELAND. The Jameson Factory is a tourist activity in Dublin, which is for the whiskey enthusiast at a price. The experience costs 10,60 euros (for students over 18), and I did not think it was worth this price (especially because the Guinness Factory experience cost 13,00 euros, and I thought I got a lot more out of that).
Exhibit on Distillation | Robert Persky
The tour consists of three parts, a film, a tour, and a whiskey tasting. The film is a recreation of a New York journalist visiting the Jameson Factory in the 1800s. It isn’t anything special (it tries proving that Jameson was a holy grail, worthy of a visit in a time when travel was really hard).
The tour guide was funny, but kind of gimmicky, telling us that all our generic questions were all “so unique”. The tour takes you through two floors where wax figures and set up factory machinery attempt to bring you through the distillery process. The guide talks about the process in every room and answers questions. The tour ends with a tasting, a choice between the equivalent of a shot of pure Jameson or a mixed drink of Jameson and lime (choose this, because it is more liquid for the value).
Eight people were then chosen for an extra tasting (this bugged me because I was not picked, and I thought that it should be included, for free, with the price we paid). The tasting consisted of three ¼ shots of whiskey, which included one of Jameson, one of Jack Daniels, and one of Johnnie Walker Black Label. Everyone claimed to like Jameson the most (because they said it was the most smooth, which is understandable because the Jameson was really smooth). This smoothness may come from the fact that the whiskey is triple distilled.
Pot Still | Robert Persky
The distillery is in a cool location, in a small, alleyway like street. There is also a restaurant that serves slightly expensive food. You can buy merchandise in a store also on location. Like most stuff in Dublin, the Jameson Distillery is easy to walk to even though it is a little away from other attractions, like Temple Bar and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The tour costs 14,00 euros for adults and 10,60 euros for students. There is a 10% discount on adult tickets when booked online. Tours are every 30 minutes.
I didn’t like the experience because I thought we should get more whiskey for what we paid (especially since not all of us could do the whiskey tasting, only eight people), and because the experience was so quick (we were in and out in 40 minutes). Jameson is also no longer made in this location (it is now made outside of Dublin), so this location is simply more of a museum and tourist attraction, and one that really does make you feel like a tourist. I would recommend sticking to the Guinness Factory tour.
Jameson Distillery
Bow St, Smithfield Village
Dublin 7, Ireland
http://www.jamesonwhiskey.com/us/tours/
Tel. +353 1 807 2355
Hours: Mon to Sat 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
Sun 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Barrel Demonstration | Robert Persky
Whiskey Tasting | Robert Persky