The Irish Whiskey Museum is located on Grafton Street, just across from Trinity College in the city of Dublin. The wonderful museum is the country’s only museum committed to the history of whiskey, an Irish invention. It is an complex and intriguing story that awaits to be told to visitors who enter its doors. Whiskey has long been a favourite spirit here in Ireland as well as around the world. Not surprising it is called “uisce beatha” meaning “water of life”.
During a fully guided tour visitors will follow the history of whiskey through the ages from its first conception to present day, as well as the methodology. The tour takes visitors through five rooms, a reconstructed sheebeen and distillery, a Victorian bar and a recreation of a rural wake, that detail the history of the drink from its unique origins when first produced by the monks in the 12th century to the twenty new distilleries in Ireland that are still in their planning stages. The story is illustrated through modern interactive exhibits, that are informative as well as by the animated guides and their captivating anecdotes. Whiskey production has had a tumultuous history here, it rose to glory but saw a dramatic decline in the late 19th century, owing to the Irish Famine, Prohibition as well as various wars, resulting in the closure of many distilleries but, it is facing a revival and the future looks promising for the new Irish whiskies that are emerging. The museum boasts an elite collection of Irish whiskey memorabilia dating back to the 1800s.
The tour lasts about an hour and concludes with a tasting session of the golden syrup that is whiskey, visitors can enjoy a small sample and become a true master of whiskey tasting. There is also an option for visitors to upgrade their ticket to sample mature aged whiskey. This tasting session takes place in a stunning contemporary bar that overlooks College Green.
The Irish Whiskey Museum is open daily throughout the year from 10.00am. It is a fascinating experience that will appeal to all not just whiskey connoisseurs.