I took a trip around Ireland’s distilleries with a whiskey expert — four must-visit places revealed

Sitting in the back of a Nissan Qashqai, with the head buyer for The Whisky Exchange in the driving seat, was not on my June bingo card. But when you get an offer to tour around Ireland with fellow whiskey experts in tow, visiting some of the best distilleries in the world, it’s not something you can turn down.

Ireland has a rich and complex history with whiskey and, right now, it is seeing unprecedented growth with over 50 distilleries around the country creating the liquid.

Each of these distilleries have their own story and while they are all holding their collective breath to see what Trump does next with his tariffs, they are all buoyant about Irish whiskey and where it will go next. One thing that will potentially shape the future, and is on the near horizon, is a proposed change to the rules of making pot still Irish whiskey, bringing it more in line with how the drink was produced in the past.

It’s an exciting time then, so to get a taste of what has been happening in the world of Irish whiskey, Shortlist was invited by the experts at The Whisky Exchange to go on a road trip of sorts around the east and southern coast of Ireland, stopping off at four distilleries to sample their wares.

The distilleries we visited were: Midleton, Blackwater, Teeling and Boann.

Here are each of these distilleries' stories and the whiskies we sampled, while those tales were being told…

1. Midleton

• Who: One of the most famous distilleries in Ireland
• What: Makes (among others) Jameson, Redbreast, Spot whiskies, Midleton Very Rare
• Where: Midleton, Cork

The Midleton distillery is in the heart of the town of the same name and is a vast, sprawling network of warehouses and distillery. It’s quite a sight to see when you travel into the town — its presence constant on the skyline.

When I visited, the distillery was not producing any liquid (an annual clean-up was happening), but the space was still a-buzz with activity. The main visitor centre, a proud, beautiful building that tells the story of Midleton through the ages, was packed with tourists. Many of those coming from the cruise ships that have docked in nearby Cobh, the only port in Ireland with a dedicated cruise berth.

The current distillery was made in 1975, which means that it’s been 50 years since the Old Distillery closed its doors. Its presence is still felt throughout Midleton, with it now acting as a museum of sorts for the history of the company. It’s here that the biggest pot still in the world is still housed, which was capable of holding 143,000 litres of liquid.

Another very special building is the Distiller’s Cottage, where I had lunch. No longer used as lodgings, the upstairs has been turned into an archive of Midleton’s 200-year history, manned by Carol Quinn, head archivist of Irish Distillers. It has been designed to international museum standards, with humidity and temperature controls to make sure the collection is kept safe.

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In April this year, Midleton revealed its Last Drops from that distillery — a 50-year-old whiskey that was the sixth and final chapter in the Midleton Very Rare Collection. I was lucky enough to be at Midleton for its unveiling then and Master Distiller Kevin O'Gorman treated me to another glass while I was on the tour. Given this is from a bottle that costs £55,000, I still can’t quite believe I had another drop of The Last Drops.

This incredible whiskey is the pinnacle of what Midleton makes, but Midleton is also a mass producer of whiskey, from Jameson to Redbreast, and the quantities it produces are simply jaw-dropping.

There are 74 warehouses beside the distillery and 88 more warehouses in nearby Dungourney — and each warehouse can store 16,000 barrels. This means there are some 2 million casks currently in maturation. To make the whiskey, Midleton has three large pot stills, each with a capacity of 75,000 litres, and three column stills. The liquid goes through rigid taste testing from O'Gorman and his team to make sure there is consistency in what is made which, at this scale, is incredible.

The whiskey to try:

• Jameson Black Barrel: O’Gorman calls it one of the most complex whiskies that Midleton makes and you can really taste this complexity.
• Nose: It’s delicate but there are nice notes of cereal and toast. There’s definitely brown sugar and the char cuts through.
• Taste: There’s a punch of fresh fruitiness throughout which leads to spice and a bigger blast of that barrel char. An oak-iness and vanilla notes also filter through.
  Finish: this is one of the smoothest whiskies Midleton produces, with a hint of brown sugar and cinnamon.

Buy now from the Whiskey Exchange

2. Blackwater

• Who: An innovative distillery that wants to change the pot still whisky rulebook
• What: The Full Irish, Oaty McOatface, PMD II: Return Of The Dragon
• Where: Ballyduff, Co Waterford

Blackwater is a distillery that is situated on a quiet backstreet of the picturesque Ballyduff.

Originally a gin producer — this is now produced at a bigger facility — Blackwater has been making whisky since 2018 and its co-owner Peter Mulryan is on a mission to change how pot still whisky is made (it's worth noting, Blackwater doesn’t spell its whisky with an e).

A former whisky journalist, Mulryan has used his investigative powers to uncover what mash bills (the recipe of the grain mixture) were like when pot still whisky was first made in Ireland.

His ‘A Manifesto For Pot Still Irish Whisky’ book is a fascinating read. Here he explains how distilling processes have changed through the years and how much of Ireland’s whisky heritage has been lost as a result.

This isn’t just historical research for Mulryan — he and a contingent of other distillers are using this knowledge to bring about change to the current Single Pot Still Technical File. In its current form, it’s too rigid and means that innovation in this area of whisky is lost. Anything made that doesn't currently adhere to this technical file can't officially be called pot still whisky.

This change has yet to be ratified, but it hasn’t stopped Mulryan from producing some brilliant whiskies — a 2022 release showcases this.

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The Blackwater Dirtgrain Manifesto Release is sadly now sold out but I got the chance to taste this superb range. Each bottle focuses on an historical mash bill and while the spirit is still young, the complexity of the grains used makes for a stunning sip. Standout was the Mash Bill #15. This was inspired by a mash bill from Allman’s distillery Bandon, Co Cork, 1915 and offered up bags of butterscotch, with coffee and orange notes.

As for the distillery, it’s small but wonderful to visit. It’s a manual distillery, with master distiller John Wilcox preferring to do things by hand, creating some courageous concoctions.

The distillery likes to have fun with its whisky names, too — I think you can guess the main ingredient of the brilliantly named Oaty McOatface.

Visiting here was one of the highlights of the trip and I’m not just saying that because Mulryan had baked a cake for our visit.

The whisky to try:

• The Full Irish: This blended Irish whisky is stunning, made from three styles of Irish whiskey – grain (10%), single malt (45%) and pot still (45%) and using every grain it can (barley, malt, wheat, oat, rye and maize).
• Nose: It’s packed with everything: fruit, sweet and spice with banana and nuts in there, too.
• Taste: More fruit comes to the fore on the taste, with a whack of spice that runs through soon after. This is 48.5%, so is punchy and purposeful. There’s also vanilla soaked fruit, with grapes and melon lingering.
• Finish: This one stays around, with a spice and wood finish.

Buy now from Blackwater

Also available: Blackwater Starburst Spicebag Rye from the Whiskey Exchange

3. Teeling

• Who: A traditional triple distiller in the heart of Dublin
• What: Small Batch, Single Grain, Single Malt, Single Pot, Blackpitts
• Where: Dublin, Liberties area

Teeling made a name for itself when it opened back in 2015 as it was the first new distillery to do so in the heart of Dublin for 125 years. The folks behind it are Jack and Stephen Teeling. Their father John Teeling had founded the Cooley Distillery in 1987 and whiskey making stretched back generations with Walter Teeling making whiskey way back in 1782 — so whiskey is definitely in the family.

As soon as you enter Teeling, you get the feeling that this is a whiskey maker for a younger crowd. The distillery is right in the middle of the bustling Liberties area of Dublin and the tour ends up in the Bang Bang Bar, where you can sample the whiskies straight or in a cocktail — I had a ruby manhattan which was sweet but delicious.

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Before you end up in the bar, though, there’s a tour around the three copper pot stills: a 15,000 litre wash still, 10,000 litre intermediate still and a third 9,000 litre still.

The whiskey to try:

• Teeling Small Batch: The first whiskey made after Teeling parted ways with Cooley and it’s a whiskey that tastes way beyond its modest under-£40 price point.
• Nose: There’s a definite sweetness, with caramel wafting in. I also got the smell of the copper from the pot stills.
• Taste: Cookie dough and bananas come to mind with the taste, as well as banana notes and even a hint of char.
• Finish: The sweetness fades at the end and makes way for creamy vanilla and a hint of olives.

Buy now from The Whisky Exchange

4. Boann

• Who: A premium distillery with Ireland’s youngest head distiller
• What: Whistler, P.X. I Love You, Summer Solstice
• Where: Drogheda, C Meath

There was magic and mysticism in the air when I visited Boann, our final distillery destination. It was the summer solstice and the main annex of the distillery was being prepped for the arrival of hundreds of guests that were invited to sample the new Boann Summer Solstice 2025 VM #7 — a cask strength, triple-distilled mixed mash bill whiskey bottled at 59.6%.

This family run distillery is stunning. A former car showroom, it plays host to some of the most photogenic pot stills I’ve ever seen, designed and manufactured exclusively by Green Engineering, in collaboration with the University of Siena in Italy.

These pot stills are unique as they utilise nanotechnology — a surface coating made of nano crystals lines the inside of the stills. In short, this tech is said to be six times more effective at collecting all the nasty stuff like sulphur which could spoil the final taste of the batch.

Sure, it’s a buzzword but as I was taken on a tour by Andy Mooney, one of the nine distillers (plus a dog!) and Peter Cooney, Export Sales Director, it’s clear that Boann’s whiskies are made with both passion and precision.

And then there’s the cask choices: oloroso sherry, calvados, imperial stout, bodega, marsala… the warehouse was a who’s who of oak — all packing intriguing, powerful flavours.

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Like Blackwater, Boann also loves to experiment with vintage mash bills. For a number of years now, they have been collaborating with whiskey historian Fionnán O’Connor. Together they have experimented with a number of historic mash bills. O’Connor was on hand to introduce the new Summer Solstice whiskey — bottles are available from the distillery and there are only 554 available — which utilises a vintage mash bill of 30% malted barley, 40% unmalted barley, and 30% wheat.

It’s a stunning drop and was the perfect accompaniment to hearing the MD of Boann, Patrick Cooney, a veteran of the industry, regale tales of the who, what, how and why of Irish whiskey. All of this concluded with a stunning whistling duet with his son Patrick.

It is this whistle that inspired Boann’s superb The Whistler range of whiskies.

The whiskey to try:

• Boann Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey PX Cask: The PX stands for Pedro Ximénez sherry which means this is a whiskey packed with fruity flavour and has a deep colour.
• Nose: You get raisins and figs, a hint of leather and notes of caramel.
• Taste: There’s salt in with the sweet on the taste, with a bacon rind kick that’s coated in candy. There’s also a peppery spice and a nibble of dark chocolate.
• Finish: This has a long finish that is sticky with molasses and burnt caramel.

Buy now from Boann

Also available: Boann Madeira Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey from The Whisky Exchange

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