Kinsale Mead Co Tour: Discover Ireland's Honey and Mead Making History
5.0
87 Ratings
Kinsale

Join us on a one-hour tour of Kinsale Mead Co and discover the fascinating history of mead making in Ireland. Taste our delicious mead and learn all about the art of mead production.

Duration: 1 hour
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • P17 XV10 - About Kinsale Meads Light and Refreshing Fermented Off dry (12% ABV)
    Myths & Legends The evolution of mead through history Stories about Myths, Legends & Kings in Ireland

    Bee Judgments & Honey Tasting | Ancient Irish Bee Laws | Tasting of 3 unique raw honeys | Learn about all about bees, honey & biodiversity |
    Bee to Bottle | Modern mead making from fermentation to bottling | The stories behind our wine & whiskey barrels that we use for maturation
    Tasting | Sample award-winning meads and cocktails | Kinsale Mead’s best food pairings
    | Family Run | Kate and Denis Dempsey love to share their passion and knowledge!
    Kinsale | Bustling harbour town | Gourmet capital of Ireland | Great pubs & restaurants

It is also an opportunity to visit our beautiful town of Kinsale with its historic streets, harbour and great restaurants.

What's Included
  • Free car parking
  • Guided tasting of award-winning meads
  • Cocktail sampling in the oak bar tasting room
Meal Options
  • Selection of Kinsale Mead Co.’s award winning meads - A guided tasting of our award winning meads will conclude the tour.
Additional Information

Take part in our entertaining, 60-minute exploration that navigates the lore of mead. The tales of mead and honey date back into antiquity, deeply intertwined with the myths and fables of Ireland. Savour the honey that forms the backbone of our delightful mead. Acquire knowledge about the process of mead-making. Indulge in a professionally guided savoring of this uniquely refreshing beverage by our mead connoisseurs. Kinsale Mead Co. takes pride in being the first Meadery in Ireland in over 200 years. We are enthusiastic about sharing our expertise and zeal for all things related to mead and honey.

Location
P17 XV10
Walking - Leave Kinsale Tourist Office right, take a right and right again. Left up Featherbed Lane, first right, in 50m up the steps/ramp, through the gates, past the Post office. Driving - Turn at the Garage, follow the road over the small roundabout, past Lidl, through the gates - free parking.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
5.0
(87 Ratings)
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Passenger68327225567
Jul 13, 2024
Lovely - The tour is great and the mead is lovely! It's worth it and it's hard to dislike it when there is such a good tour guide ;) p.s. to the nice lady who held our tour, we did in fact leave this review while waiting for the train :)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cc0yne
Jul 10, 2024
A very informative and fun tour. - We bought our tickets online for a rainy day tour. Highly recommend paying attention to walking directions from Kinsale Center. Other way is a beast uphill. Your guide was fun and enthusiastic. Answered all our questions. We had a great tasting of meads and bought two bottles, one of which is half gone already. Highly recommend the tour (and the mead)).
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Coastal56960392549
Jun 29, 2024
Fun and informative - Having never tried mead before, my husband and I thought this would be an interesting experience. We weren’t expecting to like the mead but we loved it! The small family owned business was a very casual and friendly environment. We tasted different kinds of honey, mead, and a special treat of sangria made with mead. The owner gave us a very informative history of mead and the mead making process. We had some laughs and some drinks; it was fun! I wish I could have fit one of every bottle in my suitcase.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kathleen_f
Jun 14, 2024
Go! It’s Fun - It was fun and entertaining and informative. Our Pleasant, adorable host answered all questions and engaged the visitors
Review provided by Viator
Enolil13
Jun 13, 2024
Mead 101 - We really enjoyed learning about the history of mead in Ireland as well as tasting the honey that is the main ingredient and the final product. Would highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Yvonnemf3616qg
Jun 6, 2024
Awesome Experience - This was an amazing find after watching a TV program in Australia. Most informative tour and tasting. Could tell you a lot more but it would spoil it for you. Support the only meadery in Ireland. It also tastes amazing
Review provided by Tripadvisor
I9893lmlouisew
Jun 3, 2024
Great experience - Really interesting. The host was excellent. Very knowledgeable. Highly recommend Didn’t realise how it was made or how old it is.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lauracroft_ch
May 29, 2024
Great discovery - We didn't know anything about mead before booking that tasting and we learned a lot. Small family business and the only mead producers in Ireland, who were motivated to bring back to life this ancient tradition. We first received an introduction with historical information as well as information about the production process. We then visited the back of the store where the mead is brewed and bottled. The staff is very friendly and passionate about the mead and their company. We could taste the “base product”: different honeys and then of courses the “end product”: the mead. Very interesting to discern the different tastes. For us it was a great discovery and we ended up buying a few bottles, that we are eager to share with our families when we are back at home.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Brennen
May 28, 2024
Number 1 thing to do in Kinsale for a reason! - Fantastic tour and mead. You can tell they take great care in selecting their ingredients and take no shortcuts. The tour was fantastic, even if you don't care about mead, the history alone is worth it. If you're in Kinsale, definitely don't overlook this gem. It's a little tucked away but you'll be happy you went.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
554melm
May 27, 2024
Fascinating and delicious - We toured the production plant and tasted the mead after seeing it advertised when we booked our AirBnB in Cork, and was very glad we did. Everyone was very welcoming and friendly, information was explained in an easy to listen to format, questions were answered and the samples of mead and honey we tried were delicious. To remind us of our visit we bought a bottle of Wild Forest Honey Mead. Good value, recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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September 2024
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