Dublin Liberties Whiskey History: Explore Ireland's Golden Era of Whiskey on a Guided Walking Tour
5.0
10 Ratings
Pearse Lyons Whiskey Distillery
Uncover the historic story behind Irish whiskey's golden days on a guided walking tour through Dublin Liberties. Experience Dublin whiskey like never before with a local expert and discover the secrets behind the labels. Immerse yourself in the local culture and enjoy superb whiskey and great conversation in traditional bars.
Duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • St. Patrick’s Tower - Take in the beauty of the last remaining structure of the giant that was George Roe distilling company. As well as this guests will hear the story around the important part this distillery had on Dublin distilling.
  • NCAD Gallery - Moving through the streets of the Liberties we will experience the new wave of culture in the area where old meets new and stop for a visit at a very famous address in Irish distilling history, Johns Lane which once housed the very famous Powers whiskey operation. Now home to the National College of Art and Design. A truly stunning façade where pride was to the fore with everything the famous Powers family touched. A rich steeped story told on our stop off here.
  • The Liberty Belle Pub - We take in the trading and market history of the Liberties with a stroll through Francis Street for our first pub stop, The Liberty Belle.. One of the last remaining true local bars of the Dublin 8 area. Here you will sample your first whiskey of the day as well as pouring your very own pint of Guinness
  • John Fallon’s “The Capstan Bar” - The great distillery workers of Dublin in the 1800’s chose their watering holes very well and our next stop is a true step back in time. John Fallons or as its known the Capstan bar. One famed whiskey brand dominates the décor very subtly and its here we will have another tipple of whiskey along with their signature dish, one made famous by the Dublin working class.. The ham and cheese toastie. The very best one in the city!
  • Saint Patrick’s Cathedral - From here we stroll through the beautiful St. Patricks park where the centre piece is the Cathedral. It seems not many things in this city escaped a connection with alcohol and St Patrick’s cathedral is no different A quick stop to admire its beauty and stature!
  • The Swan Bar - Licensed since 1661, this is one of the remaining 16 Victorian era pubs of Dublin where the beauty of its interior is something to behold. The chances are the guy getting your drinks ready is the owner, this is a true local haunt where it really feels like you’re a regular. Your beer will be best enjoyed best in “The Snug”. The Snug in has been a central part of Irish pub culture for a very long time, sip your drinks, learn its history and hear about the wonderful colourful history of this this iconic pub.
What's Included
  • Bottled water
  • Lunch
  • 3 premium whiskey samples
  • 2 local beers
  • Pub lunch included
Additional Information

Embark on a journey through the storied history of Irish whiskey in its heartland, the Dublin Liberties, via a fully escorted whiskey walking tour.

Join forces with a local whiskey connoisseur to explore the whiskey barons and distinctive characters and pubs of the Liberties past, while also learning about the burgeoning generation of blenders, brewers, and distillers restoring the tradition of uisce beatha.

Immerse yourself in the world of Dublin whiskey in a way you never have before under the guidance of our tour lead. Their exceptional prowess stems from nearly a decade of advocacy within the Irish whiskey sector.

On this tour, the guide will offer you a deep dive into the whiskey you’ll be tasting, revealing brand specific insider information that you won’t find elsewhere.

Your journey will make you feel like a genuine local as we have been frequenting these bars for a significant amount of time! Expect a full immersion into the local scene with fantastic whiskey, enriching dialogue, and the delightful company of fellow whiskey aficionados and pub owners in these gorgeous traditional taverns.

Location
Pearse Lyons Whiskey Distillery
James Street
Meeting point is the iconic Pearse Lyons Distillery on James Street, Dublin. Your guide will be there 15 minutes before the tour begins. Meet outside the distillery NOT in the building
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(10 Ratings)
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Bethby8983cn
Feb 19, 2024
Fantastic! - Thoroughly enjoyed this tour! We learned so much about the history of Irish whiskey & our guide Derek was fantastic-friendly & imparted so much knowledge about the industry while taking us to the pubs to appreciate the various brands. A true highlight of our time in Dublin!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tiaa842
Jan 18, 2024
Patrick has a plan! - Patrick Fox was a great guide and so informative! He was very knowledgeable on the whiskey we had and my husband liked his overall personality. I liked he didn’t mind we were a bit behind because of traffic. Would do this again next visit to Dublin! Highly recommend
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Menonab
Jan 7, 2024
An incredible Dublin experience - This was a fantastic experience. Derek is a brilliant guide and we had the best time with him. He takes you off the beaten path to some incredible old pubs, you taste some delicious whiskeys and his knowledge, stories and anecdotes are just incredible. I cannot recommend this enough and when we are back we will try some of the other tours on offer. Such an amazing treat!
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Antonyb901
Jan 5, 2024
whiskey tour - we booked Derek for the tour on NYE. there were 4 of us including our 2 sons aged 19 and 22. Derek was fabulous - entertaining, informative and very helpful. the 2 boys loved it - tasting the whiskies and the beer !!- a great way to spend a couple of hours. definitely recommend this tour - do not bother with the Guinness Tour!!
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Blackforeststeve
Dec 23, 2023
This man is a walking whiskey-dictonary! - Nice guide, cool bars, good time with my friends! Better take some notes, because you will get a truckload of information :)
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Lukas
Dec 23, 2023
If you want to explore Dublin and have a interest in Whisky and Guiness look no further! - I booked the „historic Dublin whiskey walk“ experience for me and 7 friends. The tour was excellent, we could not have wished for anything better. Derek is not only exceptionally knowledgeable about whiskey, he also knows a lot about the history of the city and the country. The entire communication was very professional and he also gave us a lot of advice on what not to miss in our time in Dublin! We had the best afternoon!! Would definitely recommend and do again!
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V4933nodominiquec
Oct 15, 2023
Fantastic walking tour 🥃 - An absolutely amazing fact filled walk with Derek. He highlights the liberties distilling history of Dublin with mind blowing knowledge of the old distillery’s and whiskey alike Beautiful bars visited in The Swan, Fallons and the liberty belle. A great way to spend an afternoon.
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621deekshac
Sep 4, 2023
Highly Recommended Tour with Derek! - The Irish Whiskey Experience was mindblowing with Derek! We had a great time walking around The Liberties and understanding the history of the Distilleries in that area. Derek took us back in time and made us taste different varieties of whiskey at amazing traditional Irish pubs and bars. We also had delicious toasties at the Capstan Bar and we all were stunned with how much Dublin has to offer in respect of Whiskey and Distilleries. We finished off the tour by having whiskey and pints at the Swan Bar and it was an awesome experience with Derek. He was a great and friendly host and made sure our Sunday was well spent.
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