The Jameson Distillery
Shannon came down from Galway just before Christmas and we decided to go on the Jameson tour! It was really fun - rather better than the Guiness Storehouse, I thought.
The tour started with a video about the history of Jameson Whiskey and then went on a tour of what the distillery would have been like at the height of it's 19th century manufacturig (the distillery moved to the new, modern location in the early 20th century to keep up with demand).
First we saw the barley storage area, which featured a stuffed cat that was like 150 years old - the actual cat from the time period in question, which was rather freaky!
Then we learned about how the barley is toasted (for your information, Irish whiskey barley is cooked with a smokeless fuel, giving it a cleaner taste, whereas Scotch whiskey is cooked over a peat fuel, which is why it tastes smokey)
We saw the water mill and the later mechanical one
Here's me with the old millstone, touching it for luck
We saw stills and big machines and instruments
And some barrels!
Then we learned how to be professional-esque whiskey tasters!
We now have certificates suitable for framing
Tomorrow I'm off out to Galway to spend New Years Eve galavanting with Shannon. I hope to have many more pictures to post after. Friday, it's off to Paris to see Amanda! January is the month for living it up, since things are slow at the cathedral this time of year.
The tour started with a video about the history of Jameson Whiskey and then went on a tour of what the distillery would have been like at the height of it's 19th century manufacturig (the distillery moved to the new, modern location in the early 20th century to keep up with demand).
First we saw the barley storage area, which featured a stuffed cat that was like 150 years old - the actual cat from the time period in question, which was rather freaky!
Then we learned about how the barley is toasted (for your information, Irish whiskey barley is cooked with a smokeless fuel, giving it a cleaner taste, whereas Scotch whiskey is cooked over a peat fuel, which is why it tastes smokey)
We saw the water mill and the later mechanical one
Here's me with the old millstone, touching it for luck
We saw stills and big machines and instruments
And some barrels!
Then we learned how to be professional-esque whiskey tasters!
We now have certificates suitable for framing
Tomorrow I'm off out to Galway to spend New Years Eve galavanting with Shannon. I hope to have many more pictures to post after. Friday, it's off to Paris to see Amanda! January is the month for living it up, since things are slow at the cathedral this time of year.