Jameson Distillery Bow St: It’s History, The Tours + Handy Info

The Jameson Distillery on Bow St. dates back to 1780, and while whiskey is no longer distilled within its walls, visitors are treated to a tour that consistently receives rave reviews.

While there are numerous whiskey distilleries in Dublin, none can compare to the sheer heritage that Jameson’s proudly boasts.

In fact, aside from the Old Bushmills Distillery, the Jameson Distillery in Dublin is the most historic of the many whiskey distilleries in Ireland.

Though it no longer produces whiskey (that’s reserved for the Midleton Distillery in Cork), the Bow St distillery is now a popular visitors centre with loads to discover and enjoy.

Some quick need-to-knows before visiting the Jameson Distillery

Although booking onto the Jameson Distillery tour is fairly straightforward, there are a few need-to-knows that’ll make your visit that bit more enjoyable.

1. Location

Find Jameson’s whiskey distillery in the same place it’s been for the last 240 years, on Bow Street in Smithfield. It’s a 15-minute walk from Christ Church and a 20-minute walk from both the Guinness Storehouse and Dublin Castle.

2. Getting there from Dublin City

Getting around Dublin City is very straightforward, once you know how.. You have 4 options to get to the Jameson Distillery:

• Walk (25 minutes): From Grafton St
• Hop on/off Bus: If you plan on visiting multiple Dublin attractions, the hop on/off bus goes to the distillery
• LUAS (10 minutes): Take the Red Line in the direction of Tallaght and get off at Smithfield

3. Part of the Dublin Pass

Exploring Dublin over 1 or 2 days? If you buy a Dublin Pass from €70 you can save from €23.50 to €62.50 on Dublin’s top attractions, like the EPIC Museum, the Guinness Storehouse, The GPO and more.

The different tours of the Jameson Distillery in Dublin

If you’re looking to take the Jameson Distillery tour, you’ve several options to choose from, each of which varies in price and overall experience.

Note: if you book a tour via one of the links below we may make a tiny commission that helps us keep this site going. You won’t pay extra, but we really do appreciate it.

1. The Bow St. Experience

It’s probably best to kick off with the Bow St. Experience and truly get to know this famous old whiskey.

You’ll get a guided tour of the distillery by an ambassador who’ll impart all of the building’s long history and heritage through the good times and the bad!

You’ll even be able to enjoy a drink at the exact spot where it all began. The tour lasts 40-minutes in total and includes a comparative whiskey tasting session.

If you’re planning on visiting the Guinness Storehouse, too, this combo tour has excellent reviews.

2. The Whiskey Blending Class

Want to see how whiskey is made first-hand and then try making it yourself? That’s what the Whiskey Blending Class is all about and you’ll end up creating a one-of-a-kind blend of your own!

Lasting 1.5 hours, the session is hosted by a Jameson Craft Ambassador who’ll guide you through the whole process with an expert touch.

You’ll learn how to blend whiskey like a pro and also sample a few premium whiskeys along the way (see the reviews here).

3. The Whiskey Cocktail Making Class

Anyone who’s enjoyed an Old Fashioned in the past will know that there’s much more to drinking whiskey neat or on the rocks! 

Jump onto Jameson’s Whiskey Cocktail Making Class and find out how to take your whiskey experience to a new level by crafting three cocktails of your own – a Jameson Whiskey Sour, Jameson Old Fashioned and Jameson Punch.

Hosted by an expert Jameson bartender, you’ll get to taste all of your own creations and hear a few stories along the way before finishing up at JJ’s Bar for a punch created by the Shaker’s team.

4. The Secret Whiskey Tasting

Ok, so there isn’t anything particularly secret about this one, but you do get to try four of Jameson’s finest Irish whiskey brands!

Hosted by a Jameson Brand Ambassador, you’ll get to try Jameson Original, Jameson Crested, Jameson Distillery Edition and Jameson Black Barrel Cask Strength.

And the cool thing is, is that two of them are only available at the distillery.

Lasting 40 minutes in total, this exclusive tour is ideal for shorter visits or if you’re trying to cram a bunch of activities into one day in Dublin.

The history of the Jameson Distillery in Dublin

Though it no longer produces whiskey for Jameson (that’s reserved for the New Midleton Distillery in County Cork), the Bow St distillery is now a historic visitors centre with plenty to discover and enjoy. 

But how did it all start?

John Jameson himself was originally a lawyer from Alloa in Scotland before he founded his distillery on Bow St in 1780.

The distillery was expanded in 1805 when his son, John Jameson II, joined him, and the business was renamed John Jameson & Son’s Bow Street Distillery.

Jameson’s son (and then grandson) did a fine job of expanding the business, and by 1866 the site had grown to upwards of five acres in size.

Described by many as a ‘city within a city’, the distillery also housed saw mills, engineers, carpenters, painters and coppersmith shops.

The inevitable fall

Following this growth, however, came the inevitable fall.

American Prohibition, Ireland’s trade war with Great Britain and the introduction of Scotch blended whiskey all contributed to Bow St’s struggles.

By the mid-1960s, Jameson felt they had no choice but to merge with previous rivals to create the Irish Distillers Group.

Bow St finally closed in 1971, and operations were moved to the modern facility at New Midleton in Cork.

Things to do near the Jameson Distillery

Once you finish the Jameson Distillery tour, you’re a short walk from some of the most popular places to visit in Dublin.

Below, you’ll find everywhere from the oldest pub in Dublin and more whiskey tours to the Phoenix Park, which is perfect for a post-tour ramble.

1. Phoenix Park (17-minute walk): One of the largest city parks in Europe, it’s a pleasant 17-minute walk away and it’s also home to Dublin Zoo and Áras an Uachtaráin
2. The Brazen Head (7-minute walk): Claiming to date back to the 12th century, this is one of the oldest pubs in Dublin
3. Guinness and whiskey tours (20-minute walk): Roe & Co, Pearse Lyons Distillery and the Guinness Storehouse are three great tours

FAQs

I’ve had a lot of questions over the years asking about everything from ‘Where is the Jameson Whiskey factory?’ (Bow St.) to ‘Do you need to book Jameson Distillery?’ (it’s advised!).

In the section below, I’ve popped in the most FAQs that we’ve received. If you have a question that I haven’t tackled, ask away in the comments section below.