Barrels displayed at the Jameson Experience Tour in Dublin, Ireland.

Grain, water, yeast, and time. This is the recipe of every whiskey you’ve ever seen on shelves. Whiskey is becoming one of the fastest growing spirits in America today, but for true whiskey connoisseurs like myself, it has been a long-time journey of passion, education, and stories that encapsulates the obsession of the mysterious brown spirit.

This past September, I achieved a lifelong dream of visiting Ireland. It has been long believed that Ireland was one of the first, if not the first, places where whiskey was distilled. Whiskey in Ireland was one of the first distilled drinks in Europe, having been created around the 12th century. It has been long believed that Irish monks brought back the techniques of distilling perfumes from their travels to southern Europe and India around 1000 A.D., and being the resourceful people that Irish folk are, they modified this method to make a drinkable spirit: whiskey.

After a 4.5 hour drive to O’Hare Airport outside of Chicago, and sitting in a green Aer Lingus airplane for over 7 hours, I had finally landed on the Emerald Isle. It’s a country so green and pristine that I promise you’ve never seen that kind of green before in your life. It’s shaded a perfect emerald green for as far as the eye can see and the rolling hills are stocked with sheep and cattle, free-roaming and grazing in peace as Ireland has no natural large predators to take advantage of them. Traveling from one side of the island was made easier with the help of local city tram stations that connected every corner of Ireland to quiet, well maintained Amtrak-like passenger train stations. 

Visiting a country as old as Ireland helps to put the young age of the United States into perspective, and admiring the long-standing tradition of whiskey-making has given me an even deeper appreciation for the liquid.

While my vacation was packed with wonderful sights and food, visiting the Midleton Distillery in County Cork was truly the highlight of my whiskey nerd-ism. Prohibition in America was deemed to be the final nail in the coffin of Irish whiskey, as it created the perfect domino effect to close nearly every distillery in Ireland. This era marked an industry-wide consolidation. But when Prohibition ended and spirits were legal again in the United States, Ireland wasn’t helped. Dublin’s restricted export sales and the loss of time from Prohibition left every Irish distillery with barely any stock left.

Old Midleton Distillery in Midleton, County Cork, Ireland.

In 1966, three distilleries came together to save the future of Irish whiskey: John Powers Distillery, John Jameson Distillery, and the Cork Distillery Company. They formed a new distillery in Midleton, County Cork because it was the only existing site that had room for expansion. The Old Jameson Distillery has since been revamped into an amazing new visitor center that is a sight to behold.

My tour started with the standard explanation of what makes Irish whiskey unique and the history behind it. Within the hallowed stone halls, I traveled to discover the washback room, where the mash was created and added to a large drum to start the fermentation process. It smelled of delicious warm yeast, like stepping inside a large oven that was baking some of the most delicious bread you’ve ever eaten.

The writer in Ireland.

After the tour of the grounds, I visited a small warehouse where a few hundred barrels of Jameson Whiskey was maturing. The smell of old toasted oak and booze filled the air as they slept for their four-year minimum required slumber. I enjoyed a complimentary cocktail while overlooking the gift shop and even sparked a great conversation with other whiskey enthusiasts visiting from the United States.

Visiting a country as old as Ireland helps to put the young age of the United States into perspective, and admiring the long-standing tradition of whiskey-making has given me an even deeper appreciation for the liquid. Fortunately, Chippewa Valley residents won’t have to make the trek down to Chicago to get a flight to Ireland like I had to. Aer Lingus Airlines announced that they will start direct flights from Minneapolis to Dublin next April. So whether you use it to craft your favorite Old-Fashioned or if you prefer to sip it on the rocks, remember that great things take time – like whiskey. Slainte Mhath!

For more information on Jameson and the Midleton Distillery, visit jamesonwhiskey.com. For more information regarding Aer Lingus and their Twin Cities Airport partnership, visit aerlingus.com.