Growing up, my Opa (grandpa in German) would drink “Jack and Coke” like it was water. I remember taking my first sip and feeling like my insides were burning and swore I would never drink whiskey again unless it was forced down my throat. Flash forward a decade (or two, but who’s counting?) the hubby and I headed to Teeling Whiskey Company with our friend to celebrate his last weekend in Dublin before moving to America. To my delight, I wasn’t completely turned off by my whiskey cocktail (see what I did there?) and really enjoyed the tour of the only working distillery in Dublin. 

The nitty gritty

Location

Let’s face it, Dublin is known for three things: St. Patrick’s Cathedral, pubs, and Guinness, and whiskey. Teeling whiskey distillery is conveniently located in between St. Patrick’s Cathedral and the Guinness Storehouse which means you could experience all of Dublin in one afternoon. I wouldn’t suggest this as there is so much more to this fantastic city, but it’s a thought if you’re in a hurry.

Tour options

Book your tickets in advance here. Tickets are almost always sold out, so try to book a few days to weeks in advance depending on the time of year you’re planning on coming. There are three different tour options: 

• €14.00 – Small batch whiskey tasting + cocktail + tour
• €20.00 – Small batch, single grain, and single malt whiskey tasting
• €30.00 – Award winning single malt, single cask, and vintage distillery exclusive single malt whiskey tasting 

We went for the €14 option and I drank mine and my husband’s cocktail while he drank both of our whiskey tastings. The hubs loves whiskey so if we did it all over again he probably would have gone for the €20 option, but I really wanted his cocktail so I convinced him to go cheap with me. True love right there. 

Why is Teeling the only working distillery?

The whiskey culture runs deep in Irish history dating all the way back to 600 A.D. when the Irish monks brought distillation science to Ireland. In 1875 the Liberties whiskey fire destroyed many distilleries in the city. With hard times falling in Ireland the last distillery in Dublin closed in 1976. The Teeling family has been perfecting the craft of Irish whiskey since the late 1700s. Opening it’s doors in 2015, the Teeling distillery is the first new working distillery in Dublin in over 125 years. Successfully capturing the “Spirit of Dublin” the family recognized the new revival happening in bustling Dublin and took the opportunity to become a part of this exciting time. 

The Tour

Before we started the tour we were directed into a room full of different information boards where we learned about all of the history of whiskey in Ireland and why it’s the best in the world. Be sure to give yourself some time before your tour to really explore this area as there is a ton of information and it’s pretty cool to see how the production of whiskey has changed over the centuries. 

Once the tour started we did a quick round of intros and were led into a room where we watched a video explaining the history of Teeling. We then headed to the room where the liquid gold is actually made. I’ll be honest, I don’t remember anything about what our guide told us about how the whiskey is produced. I’ll blame it on the two whiskey cocktails I downed immediately after the tour. Overall, this tour was one of the best ones we’ve ever been on. Our tour guide had all of the necessary guide characteristics: humor, sarcasm, and passion for the product. The facilities are very well maintained and they did a great job entertaining us (even me with my extremely short attention span) for a good half hour before we were able to taste our whiskey. 

The whiskey tasting

After the tour we were directed into the tasting room which also has a bar and gift shop. The table for the tour was already set up for us with the whiskey we purchased with the tour (see above for the different prices in the tour). I happily sat at the end of the table sipping my two cocktails while the guide explained the different types of whiskey each person was tasting and how they differed. Like I said earlier – I know NOTHING about whiskey. So, you’ll just have to try the tour yourself to really understand the magic of Teeling and how it embodies the Spirit of Dublin. 

Overall rating: 10/10 – I wouldn’t change anything about this tour. It’s very well done and highly recommended during your visit to Dublin.

What’s your favorite brewery/whiskey/wine tour you’ve ever done while traveling?

– Happy Trekking!

Boots not Roots