5 Distilleries in County Cork That You Shouldn't Miss

Spend an hour on an entertaining, fun experience learning all about Mead, the drink of Celtic Ireland’s Kings & Chieftains. Ideally located in the historic and food-loving haven of Kinsale on the Wild Atlantic Way, Kinsale Mead is Ireland’s first meadery in almost 200 years. Using a blend of ancient recipes and modern techniques, Kate and Denis Dempsey have resurrected a love of Mead through their sustainably made, award-winning meads created at their family run meadery. Highlights of a tour at Kinsale Mead Co. include: • Insights into Kinsale Meads: light and refreshing, fermented off dry (12% ABV wine strength) • Myths & Legends: hear stories of ancient legends and the colourful history of mead in Ireland • Bee Judgments: how Ireland’s Bee Laws protected the bees, taste three unique raw honeys • Process: modern mead making from fermentation, throthrough to maturation and bottling • Tasting: sample award-winning meads and cocktails in the Meadery’s oak bar tasting room

Located in the coastal town of Clonakilty, on the Wild Atlantic Way, Clonakilty Distillery is a maritime distillery, owned and run by the Scully family. The Scullys have farmed this coastal land for eight generations, growing barley on the family land at the base of Galley Head Lighthouse. This unspoilt marine environment provides a complexity to the soil that permeates through to each individual grain. Using Water drawn deep from within the untouched rock formations of the ocean cliffs, coupled with the fresh Atlantic sea air, the Scully family have created a range of whiskeys that honour their unique provenance. Discover the people and place behind these award-winning products through a tour of this world class facility.

Visit Jameson Distillery Midleton and enjoy a host of unique experiences - from a Premium Whiskey Tasting to a workshop at our state of the art Jameson Irish Whiskey Academy. Today, every drop of Jameson enjoyed anywhere in the world is produced here, just 20 minutes’ drive from Cork City. Take a hosted tour of the distillery which brings the fascinating story of Jameson’s rich heritage to life. You will learn about the hard-working people and field-to-glass processes responsible for the whiskey that bears John Jameson’s name. Our Behind The Scenes Tour gives you access to our Micro Distillery, Cooperage, Maturation Warehouse & Distiller’s Cottage.

The Irish Whiskey Academy is the new state of the art whiskey learning centre located in Cork on the grounds of the Old and New Midleton Distilleries.Since opening its doors in February 2013, the Irish Whiskey Academy is now the established educational institute of Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard, hosting courses that focus on the production and heritage of Irish whiskey produced at Midleton.