“Live A Bit More And Fear A Bit Less!”

The year was 1780 and Dublin was the second largest city in Great Britain and Ireland. With over one hundred breweries and distilleries operating in Dublin, John Jameson’s whiskey had a tremendous amount of competition. By embracing the spirit of “Live a bit more and fear a bit less!” Jameson Distillery thrived, expanding over almost 6 acres in the city center.
The business remained a family operation for more than 100 years. In 1901 the company was incorporated as John Jameson and Son Ltd.

Taking the Jameson tour seems almost like a “must do” for anyone visiting Dublin. Not that I’m much of a whiskey drinker, but Reg has been known to occasionally enjoy a taste or two. So we scheduled our tour and showed up the recommended 15 minutes early. Following the crowd, we found ourselves in line for our choice of a pre-tour drink: a healthy pour of straight whiskey, a glass of whiskey and water or a mixed drink of whiskey, ginger ale and lime.

Once the tour began our group was encouraged bring our drinks along, with the promise of more drinks to come. Although I have to admit it tasted pretty good, I set mine down as we left the tasting room.
Our guide was lively and entertaining as she led us through the Jameson history, the processing of ingredients, the triple distillation process and barrel aging. Once we all had a little more background, we moved on to the tasting room.

Each of us had three whiskeys and a glass of water. Our guide taught us the proper way to taste whiskey. Much like wine, it requires swirling, sniffing, (“put you nose right inside the glass,” she directed us) and then holding a sip in your mouth before swallowing. “Whiskey is a sipping drink,” she explained.

Visitors have ample opportunity to sample and sip in the bar either before or after the tour. Or, you are welcome to visit the bar regardless of whether you’ve scheduled a tour. If you’re a whiskey fan, I’d encourage it.