10 Best Distillery Tours in Ireland (2026): Whiskey, Gin & Booking Tips

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This guide covers the 10 best distillery tours in Ireland in 2026, from world-famous Irish whiskey distilleries in Dublin to hidden gin distilleries in County Leitrim.

I spent 12 days in Ireland exploring Dublin, Donegal, and Leitrim, and if there’s one thing I learned, it’s that Ireland has no interest in rushing you.

The rain falls slowly, the conversations last long, and even the whiskey takes its sweet time.

When I first planned the trip, I wasn’t chasing distilleries or planning tastings. I just wanted a slow adventure that mixed beautiful landscapes with good food, kind people, and a little luxury.

But somewhere between the cobblestone streets of Dublin and the green hills of Leitrim, I found myself standing inside Drumshanbo Distillery, watching the copper stills hiss with steam and the scent of citrus and botanicals fill the air.

That moment changed everything.

It wasn’t just a drink, it was an experience. A story in a glass. And that’s what Ireland does best.

Each distillery tells a tale of patience, family, and pride of people who’ve perfected their craft over generations and invite you to taste their history one sip at a time.

So, whether you’re planning your first trip to Ireland or coming back for more, here are the distilleries that captured my heart (and my taste buds).

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Here are my top picks for the best distillery tours in Ireland, perfect for travelers who love luxury, culture, and a good cocktail moment.

Ireland’s Must-Visit Distilleries

🍸 Drumshanbo Distillery (County Leitrim) – (My favorite Distillery to Visit)

• Jameson Distillery Bow St. (Dublin)
• Teeling Whiskey Distillery (Dublin)
• Bushmills Distillery (County Antrim)
• Tullamore D.E.W. Distillery (County Offaly)
• Dingle Distillery (County Kerry)
• Powerscourt Distillery (County Wicklow)
• Kilbeggan Distillery (County Westmeath)
• Midleton Distillery Experience (County Cork)
• Roe & Co Distillery (Dublin)

1. Drumshanbo Distillery — County Leitrim

I didn’t expect Drumshanbo to be one of the highlights of my Ireland trip, but it completely stole the show.

I was there for the castles and the countryside. But this small-town distillery in County Leitrim ended up being one of the best experiences of the entire 12 days.

We arrived a little early for our tour and had lunch at the Jackalope Café on site.

The food is locally sourced, the atmosphere is warm and unhurried, and I had a soup that I still think about. I never caught the name of it, but it was the best soup I’ve ever eaten anywhere.

That alone is worth the drive.

The tour itself costs €15 per person and runs about 75 minutes, enough time to actually understand what you’re looking at, not just walk through and nod. Book ahead, especially on weekends.

This place fills up, and for good reason.

Inside, the space tells a story. Old artifacts, copper stills, vintage tools, and the unmistakable scent of botanicals in the air.

This is where Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin is made, a gin that gets its distinct flavor from gunpowder tea and a combination of Asian and Irish botanicals.

The guide walked us through every step without rushing us, and the pride in the room was real.

After the tour, we moved to the Honey Badger Bar, a botanical glasshouse where they serve cocktails made with their own gin and whiskey.

Sitting there with greenery overhead, holding a drink, I’d just watched being made, that’s the kind of moment that makes travel worth it.

If you’re only doing one distillery outside Dublin, make it this one.

I book all of my tours through Viator because they handle the confirmation instantly and cancellation is easy if your plans change.

You can reserve your Drumshanbo tour here or book directly on The Shed Distillery website. Either way, do it before you arrive in Leitrim because this tour sells out, especially in summer.

📍 Carrick-on-Shannon Road, Drumshanbo, Co. Leitrim, N41 WR22 | ☎ +353 (0)71 931 7000

2. Jameson Distillery Bow St. — Dublin

If you only have time for one distillery in Dublin, Jameson is the one most people start with, and there’s a reason it stays at the top of every list.

The building alone is worth the visit. John Jameson established this distillery in Smithfield back in 1780, and standing in that courtyard, you feel every bit of it.

The tour is part history lesson, part tasting, and genuinely entertaining.

You’ll learn how triple distillation works, why Irish whiskey tastes different from Scotch, and you’ll sample aged blends along the way.

If you want to take it further, they offer a whiskey blending masterclass and a cocktail making class that are worth booking if you have a full afternoon free.

Tours run about 60 minutes and start at €28 per person for the standard experience.

The masterclasses run longer and cost more, but if you’re the kind of traveler who likes to go deeper into an experience rather than just check a box, they’re worth every cent.

I book all of my tours through Viator because they handle the confirmation instantly and cancellation is easy if your plans change.

You can reserve your Jameson tour here or book directly at jamesonwhiskey.com/visit. Book ahead. This is one of the most visited attractions in all of Dublin and weekend slots go fast.

One practical tip: if you’re combining Jameson with other Dublin distilleries like Teeling or Roe and Co, plan Jameson first.

Smithfield is easy to get to, the tour sets up a great foundation for understanding Irish whiskey, and everything else you taste afterward will make more sense because of it.

📍 Bow Street, Smithfield, Dublin 7, D07 N9VH | ☎ +353 1 807 2355.

3. Teeling Whiskey Distillery — Dublin

Teeling has a different energy from Jameson and that’s exactly the point.

This is Dublin’s first new distillery in over 125 years, and from the moment you walk in you can feel that it was built by people who had something to prove.

It’s stylish, modern, and buzzing with the kind of confidence that comes from making really good whiskey.

The tour takes you through the entire small-batch production process right in front of you. You’ll smell the grain, watch the copper stills at work, and finish with a tasting flight that covers their full range.

If you want to make it a proper experience, book the Bottle Your Own option where you fill a bottle directly from the cask to take home. It’s the kind of detail that turns a tour into a memory.

Tours run about 60 minutes and start at €16 per person.

The Bottle Your Own experience costs more but if you’re a whiskey lover it is worth every cent. Book ahead because Teeling sits in the heart of the Liberties district and draws a serious crowd, especially on weekends.

I book all of my tours through Viator because I can compare options, read real traveler reviews before I commit, and rebook easily if my plans shift.

You can reserve your Teeling tour here or book directly at teelingdistillery.com.

If you’re planning a Dublin distillery day, pair Teeling with Roe and Co, both are in the same neighborhood, and the contrast between the two makes each one more interesting.

📍 13-17 Newmarket, Dublin 8, D08 KD91 | ☎ +353 1 531 0888

4. Bushmills Distillery — County Antrim

There are distilleries that claim to have history, and then there is Bushmills, which has been making whiskey since 1608.

That is not a marketing line.

King James I granted this small village on the north Antrim coast a license to distill over 400 years ago and they never stopped.

Walking through the door here feels different from anywhere else on this list because you are standing inside something that has genuinely outlasted empires.

The whiskey is made with water drawn from the River Bush, which runs right through the village. That detail matters because you can taste where you are.

Triple distilled, aged in oak casks, no smoke and no peat, just a smooth and honeyed Irish malt that is completely its own thing.

The tour takes you through the full process from grain to glass, including the bottling hall, and finishes with a tasting that lets the whiskey speak for itself.

Tours run about 40 minutes and cost £20 per person. That is genuinely good value for the oldest licensed whiskey distillery in the world.

Book ahead between May and September because this place draws serious crowds, especially from visitors combining it with the Giant’s Causeway which is less than 10 minutes away by car.

That combination is the real tip here. Most people drive up to the Causeway, spend a few hours on the rocks, and head back south without knowing that one of the most extraordinary distilleries in the world is sitting right next door.

Do Bushmills first, get your bearings on the Antrim Coast, then walk the Causeway with a better appreciation for where you are.

I book all of my tours through Viator because I can compare options, read real traveler reviews before I commit, and rebook easily if my plans shift.

You can reserve your Bushmills tour here or book directly at bushmills.com. Either way, do not leave this one to chance in summer.

📍 2 Distillery Road, Bushmills, County Antrim, BT57 8XH | ☎ +44 (0)28 2073 3218

5. Tullamore D.E.W. Distillery — County Offaly

Most people think of Tullamore D.E.W. as just the bottle they see at every airport duty-free shop in the world. The distillery in County Offaly will completely change how you see it.

This is a working, purpose-built distillery spread across 58 acres in the heart of Ireland’s midlands, producing 11 million litres of whiskey every year.

The tour takes you behind the scenes of all of it: the still house floor, the maturation warehouse where 50,000 oak casks are sleeping, the blending lab, and a moment in the distillery experience that nobody forgets.

It is called “Dip the Dog” and it means exactly what it sounds like. You lower a glass pipette directly into a cask and taste whiskey straight from the barrel in what they call the Secret Warehouse Snug.

That single experience is worth the drive from Dublin.

And the drive is easy. Tullamore is about one hour from Dublin and one hour from Galway, just off the M6.

That makes it the most practical distillery on this list if you are road-tripping across the country and want to break the journey with something genuinely worth stopping for.

The tour runs 105 minutes, groups are capped at just 12 people, and it includes a welcome Irish coffee on arrival, a still house visit, three premium whiskey tastings, and the cask experience.

Book well ahead because the small group size means availability disappears fast, especially on weekends.

One important note: this tour is strictly for adults over 18. If you are travelling with family, you will need to plan around that.

This tour is not on Viator, so you will have to book through TripAdvisor or book directly at tullamoredew.com. Do not leave this one to chance. 12 people per tour fill up faster than you think.

📍 Clonminch, Tullamore, Co. Offaly, R35 E027 | ☎ Check tullamoredew.com for current pricing and availability

6. Dingle Distillery — County Kerry

Dingle is not on the way to anywhere. That is exactly the point.

Founded in 2012 in a converted sawmill, Dingle was one of the first craft distilleries of the modern era in Ireland, before craft distilling was a trend, before everyone was doing it.

It sits on the edge of the Wild Atlantic Way, an independent operation committed to making spirits that reflect the character of the community around it.

You can taste that in the glass.

The tour runs about 75 minutes and takes you through every stage of production from mashing, fermentation, distilling, and maturation before finishing with a tasting of their hand-crafted spirits.

What makes Dingle different from the big commercial distilleries is that every step of the process is performed on-site with close attention to detail, and the single malt whiskey matures in a mix of bourbon, sherry, and other seasoned casks.

The tasting does not stop at whiskey. Dingle also produces gin and vodka and both are worth your full attention.

The gin in particular has developed its own reputation well beyond Ireland. More than a few people who come in as whiskey tourists leave as Dingle Gin converts.

One thing to know before you go: the tour is not wheelchair accessible, involves standing for extended periods, and includes a flight of stairs.

Also, alcohol is not sold on site, so the staff will direct you to where it can be purchased, and there are plenty of options in Dingle town.

The distillery is about a 15-minute walk from the center of Dingle. That walk along the harbor is worth it on its own.

After the tour, Dick Mack’s pub in town is the right next stop, it has one of the best whiskey selections in Kerry and the kind of atmosphere that reminds you why people come to Ireland in the first place.

Tours are strictly 18 and over, no exceptions!

This applies to infants and young children as well. No one under 18 is permitted in the reception area. Book in advance. This experience is likely to sell out, especially in peak season.

This tour is also not on Viator, so book through TripAdvisor or book directly at dingledistillery.ie. Do not wait for this one summer, dates go fast.

📍 Milltown, Dingle, Co. Kerry | ✉ tours@dingledistillery.ie

7. Powerscourt Distillery — County Wicklow

Every distillery on this list has a good story. Powerscourt has something most of them do not: a setting that stops you before you even walk through the door.

The distillery sits on the Powerscourt Estate in Enniskerry, County Wicklow, on 1,000 acres of ancient woodland, championship golf courses, a luxury hotel, and Ireland’s highest waterfall.

The distillery itself occupies a converted historic mill house, a 22,000 square foot visitor centre that has been fully operational since 2018.

And here is the detail that separates Powerscourt from every other distillery in Ireland: the pure mineral water used in production filters into the estate’s aquifer directly from Powerscourt Waterfall.

The water that makes the whiskey comes from the landmark on the property. That is not marketing. That is geography doing the work.

The whiskey itself is called Fercullen, named after the ancient territory that once encompassed this land.

Master Distiller Noel Sweeney, a member of the World Whisky Hall of Fame, oversaw the first distillation in 2018 and was instrumental in establishing the Fercullen range.

This is not a vanity project attached to a pretty estate. The people making the whiskey here have serious credentials.

Two tour options are available. The standard tour is one hour, takes you through the production floor and the bonded warehouse, and finishes with a tasting of three Fercullen Irish Whiskeys at €25.

The food pairing tour runs 90 minutes at €35 and adds Irish cheese, charcuterie from the Wooded Pig, and Fercullen whiskey chocolates to the tasting.

If you are going to be on the estate anyway, the food pairing tour is worth the extra ten euros.

Between October and March, self-guided tours and walk-in whiskey tastings are available in the Whiskey Lounge without a booking, running Monday through Saturday from 10:30 am to 5:00 pm and Sundays from noon.

Summer visits require advance booking, and the standard tour does occasionally have walk-in availability if you call ahead.

After the tour, you have an entire estate to explore. The gardens cover 47 acres, the Wicklow Mountains frame the horizon, and Powerscourt Waterfall is a short drive away.

Plan to spend at least half a day here. It earns it.

You can reserve your Powerscourt Distillery tour here or book directly at powerscourtdistillery.com.

📍 Powerscourt Estate, Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow, A98 A9T7 | ☎ +353 1 506 5656 | ✉ tours@powerscourtdistillery.com

8. Kilbeggan Distillery — County Westmeath

Founded in 1757, Kilbeggan is the world’s oldest licensed whiskey distillery and it is still a working operation today.

The machinery you walk past on the tour is not a museum recreation.

The 19th century water wheel is still in use and the steam engine is still fired up on special occasions. The original steam engine was installed to power the distillery during rare times when the flow of the River Brosna was not strong enough to drive the waterwheel.

Both are still on site. Both still work. That alone separates Kilbeggan from every other distillery in Ireland.

The distillery sits on the banks of the River Brosna in County Westmeath, about one hour west of Dublin just off the M6 motorway.

If you are exploring Dublin to Galway, Kilbeggan falls almost exactly halfway and is worth planning your drive around visiting this distillery.

There is free parking available at the back of the distillery, and the Citylink bus number 763, which runs between Dublin Airport and Galway, also stops in Kilbeggan.

The tour takes you through the traditional methods of mashing in oak mash tuns and fermenting in Oregon pine vats, and you will see Kilbeggan malt spirit flowing from ancient pot stills.

These are not decorative pieces. This is genuinely how whiskey is still made here. Enormous wooden fermentation vats come into view as you move through the old stone building, and stories are shared that bring the distillery back to life across 250 years of production.

The Gold Medal tour at €26 per person includes a masterclass tasting of four whiskeys: Kilbeggan 8 Single Grain, Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey, Tyrconnell Single Malt, and Connemara Peated Single Malt.

Connemara is Ireland’s only heavily peated single malt, and tasting it alongside the smooth Kilbeggan blend in the same session shows you the full range of what Irish whiskey can actually be.

There is also a Distillery Exclusive experience where you can fill your own 70cl bottle of Kilbeggan whiskey directly from the cask.

If you are looking for a gift that nobody else will have, that is the one.

Children under 18 get free entry, which makes Kilbeggan one of the only distilleries on this list that works for a mixed group traveling with family.

The tour is educational enough for kids and genuinely substantive enough for serious whiskey drinkers. That combination is rare.

Plan to spend at least two hours here. After the tour, the Warehouse Bar has the full Kilbeggan portfolio available for additional tasting, and the whiskey shop carries distillery exclusives you will not find anywhere else.

You can reserve your Kilbeggan Distillery tour here or book directly at kilbegganwhiskey.com.

📍 Lower Main Street, Kilbeggan, Co. Westmeath | ✉ info@kilbegganwhiskey.com | ☎ +353 57 933 2134

9. Midleton Distillery Experience — County Cork

The Midleton Distillery in Cork is 23 minutes from Cork City, which means you can pair it easily with a day in the city without needing to plan a separate trip.

The distillery itself is two operations in one place. The beautifully restored Old Midleton Distillery is set across a 15-acre site, with some of the buildings dating back to 1795.

Next to it, invisible to visitors, sits the modern production facility that currently produces around 24 million bottles of Jameson, Powers, and Paddy Irish whiskeys every year.

What you tour is the old distillery. What you taste comes from the new one. The combination works.

The old distillery holds the world’s largest pot still, a 150-year-old water wheel, and original malting houses, corn stores, and still houses.

These are not props. They are the actual equipment that produced Irish whiskey on this site for 150 years before production moved to the modern facility next door.

Walking through them with a good guide is a genuinely different experience from every other distillery on this list because the scale here is unlike anything else in Ireland.

The tour runs about 75 minutes, and you have real options depending on how deep you want to go.

The standard guided tour ends with a complimentary glass of Jameson and a tutored whiskey tasting that compares Irish whiskey against other styles from around the world.

That comparative tasting is one of the more useful things you can do if you are building your whiskey knowledge across this trip.

The Behind the Scenes and Premium Whiskey Tasting adds a more in depth tasting session in a separate room.

The cocktail masterclass is also available if you want to leave with a new skill rather than just a glass. Multiple reviewers specifically called it out as a standout experience for groups.

A free shuttle bus runs between Cork City and the distillery from April through October, which means you do not need a car to make this work.

No ticket or admission is required for the retail shop, the Whiskey Vault, or the Malthouse Café, so even if someone in your group skips the tour, there is plenty to keep them occupied.

Pre-booking is strongly recommended. Tours run throughout the day and the distillery recommends booking all whiskey experiences in advance.

Summer weekends especially fill up fast.

You can [reserve your Midleton Distillery tour here.

📍 Distillery Walk, Midleton, Co. Cork, P25 Y394 | ☎ Check jamesonwhiskey.com for current pricing and tour times

10. Roe & Co Distillery — Dublin

Built inside the former Guinness Power Station in the heart of the Liberties, Roe and Co opened as a fully operational urban distillery focused on cocktail exploration and modern Irish whiskey.

The building itself is worth seeing before you even start the tour.

The industrial bones of the old power station are still visible throughout, and the contrast between the original architecture and the working distillery inside creates an atmosphere that none of the rural distilleries on this list can replicate.

Lonely Planet named Roe and Co one of the ten best new openings in the world when it launched.

The reason is not the whiskey history. It is the experience design. Where most distillery tours end with a tasting, Roe and Co is built around making something.

Throughout your tour you are guided by expert bartenders through the art of distilling and blending, and the experience is built around delivering a world class cocktail suited to your personal taste.

You leave with a drink you made yourself, using whiskey you just learned how to blend.

Groups are kept small, with a maximum of four people per session, Viator, which means the guide is actually paying attention to what you like rather than running through a script for a crowd of twenty.

The location makes Roe and Co easy to combine with a full Dublin day.

It sits directly across from the Guinness Storehouse on James’s Street, and from Temple Bar, it is a 1.4km walk that takes you past Christ Church Cathedral and Dublin Castle.

All three Dublin distilleries on this list: Jameson, Bow Street, Teeling, and Roe and Co, are within a short distance of each other in this part of the city, making them straightforward to combine in a single afternoon if you plan it well.

One practical note: there is no on-site parking. Public transport or walking is the right call here.

You can [reserve your Roe and Co tour here or book directly at roeandcowhiskey.com.

📍 92 James’s Street, Dublin 8, D08 DNA7 | ☎ +353 1 643 5999 | ✉ hello@roeandcowhiskey.com

❓ FAQ: Everything You Need to Know About Distillery Tours in Ireland

Final Thoughts: The Best Distillery Tours in Ireland in 2026

Ireland’s whiskey story does not live in one place.

It lives across 10 distilleries spread from the cliffs of Kerry to the midlands of Westmeath, from a 268 year old working distillery in County Offaly to a cocktail bar inside a former power station in Dublin.

If you are planning a road trip and can only pick two or three, here is how to think about it.

If you are based in Dublin, pair Jameson Bow Street with Roe and Co on the same afternoon and add Teeling the following morning.

If you are heading west toward Galway, Kilbeggan and Tullamore D.E.W. fall almost exactly on your route and both reward a proper stop rather than a quick look.

If you are traveling through County Wicklow, Powerscourt earns a full half day. If you are driving the Wild Atlantic Way, Dingle is non-negotiable. If you are in Cork, Midleton is 23 minutes from the city and the scale alone justifies the trip.

No matter which distilleries you choose, book in advance.

Ireland’s best experiences fill up, and the small group tours on this list fill up faster than anything else. A reservation takes five minutes and saves you from showing up to a sold out sign.

Keep Planning Your Irish Journey

More Ireland Reading from Passports and Grub

These posts work together to help you plan a complete Ireland trip. Each one covers a different piece of the same destination.

• Planning where to stay in County Leitrim? My full review of Lough Rynn Castle Hotel Ireland covers rates, rooms, and what makes this 19th century castle worth the splurge.
• Want a nature escape near Drumshanbo Distillery? Drumhierny Woodland Hideaway in County Leitrim is 20 minutes from the distillery and one of the best eco-luxury stays in Ireland.
• Looking for more things to do in County Leitrim? My guide to castles in Leitrim Ireland covers the best ruins and estates worth an afternoon.
• Staying in Dublin for the city distilleries? These are the best boutique hotels in Dublin within walking distance of Jameson, Teeling, and Roe and Co.
• Fitting distilleries into a bigger Dublin trip? My guide to the best day trips from Dublin includes Powerscourt, Kilbeggan, and Midleton with driving times and logistics.

🍸 Travel Tip: Don’t forget to grab travel insurance before your trip — especially when renting a car for distillery hopping or countryside drives.
👉🏽 Get a Free Travel Insurance Quote

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